its saturday night and im tucking the kids in.
anna is looking upset about something, has tears in her eyes but the last i saw she was fine. i crouch down to her level (she was sleeping on the floor in the boys room) and ask her whats wrong.
“i dont wanna grow up momma.”
“oh hon, you wont be growing up for a long time-dont worry about it tonight!”
“but i dont wanna grow up momma!”
“why are you so worried about this right now?”
and here is where the tears come on, and the silky comes up over her eyes to cover them, “BECAUSE IF I AM ALL GROWED UP THEN I CANT HUG YOU AND KISS YOU ALL THE TIME EVERY DAY!” but it came out more like, “because if im all grOOOOOOoooooOOOOwed UUUUUuuuuUUUUUp then i cant hug and kiss you every daaaaAAAAAaaaaY!”
“oh baby! no matter how old you are you can hug and kiss me as much as you want! you will always be my baby-always no matter how old you are.”
“but i wont live HEEEEEeeeeeeEEEEEErrrrrEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE when im a growed uUUUUUuuuuup. you cant tuck me IIIIiiiin at niiiight.”
“you can live here as long as you want. you live here in your bedroom until you are 35, mommy and daddy would love it! and if you want your own house, you can buy a house next door to us so i can come over and tuck you in every night.”
“but what if all the PEEEOPLE live in all the HOUUUSEEES and i cant LIIIIIIVE there?”
“we will make sure there are two houses next door to each other so that we can always be close.”
oh, if only the fact of the matter wasnt that she will change her mind in 8 years. or ten. if only she would always feel like this, always want me near her, ready to plant a kiss on her smoochy little lips and squeeze her sweet little body into a hug. if only my hugs and kisses could heal her forever like they do now-when she gets her heart broken by friends or boys, or doesnt get that job or that shoe doesnt fit and they dont have her size. if only she COULD stay like this forever, our sweetest little bambina-the one our whole family loves just the way she is.
if only.
anna & ivy, taken late august
Oh, these are the moments that make being a mommy worth it! I will be sad when my kids are gone. And it’s great that you recorded this conversation so that when she is 16 and crying because she has to live in your home you can remind her that at one point she was brought to tears that she would have to leave you. Very cute!
that is so SWEET!! I totally agree, my son worries about growing up too….
tfs :)
OH if only! welling up here! i love this post. i love these moments with our kids. you are so great to journal them here. i have really mostly been posting the funny moments. i need to post more of those tender moments. (except my last post was of tender moments)
i LOVE the pic of anna and ivy. sorry to say but anna is looking so “growed up”. she is so beautiful! she has your warm-eyed smile.
Aww, my daughter who is now 14, said something so similar when she was young. Now, at 14, she still insists she is living next door, or at least very very close. So maybe Anna will be the same! And like you, I said “you can live here as long as you want!” I don’t understand people who are ready to boot them out at 18.
that is so sweet! I love to read your blog… it makes me happy!
My 7 year old son says he’s never getting married and he wants to live with us forever. I smile and feel warm inside. :)
i have tears here. i love this post! i love how sweet our kids can be when there feelings are so raw and real. what a sweet little anna. i love her just the way she is too. :)
what is it with the little ones lately…and us moms realizing our babies soon won’t be babies much longer!? This made me tear up…because we’ve had the same conversations of course here.
But in truth, lately, with turning 35 coming next week, I’ve had the most horrible baby bug! Little one soon turns three. Oldest just started school. Hubby had the old nip/tuck. So, I know there will be no more babies and that upset the crap out of me. So much in fact that after an emotional fit about it last night, hubby offered to do a reversal! Poor guy. I feel for him having to ride these emotional waves.
But hell, I cried during the Today show a couple of weeks ago when they were talking about moms dealing with their kids going to college! Of course, so did both the women doing the piece…so I guess I’m not that nuts.
::tears::
EXACTLY!!
i have gone around with my daughters savannah and ava in the exact conversation no JOKE> i have even told them we will kick the neighbors out of the houses next door so they can live here next to me and i will babysit the grandkids LOL!
too cute…….
tara
Oh Tara, don’t let her grow up!!!!!
My baby was home from college this weekend…do you know how hard it is to watch her drive away and know that I won’t get to hug that tall,slender baby body for three weeks?!? Enjoy every second you get to spend with your cute kids. It’s why I scrapbook, you NEVER get that moment back!!
If only….
Austin is in that stage right now too…he says the same things to us right now….totally breaks your heart, cause if you are like me, you are thinking…i don’t want you to either. BUt they do. Can’t stop time. *sigh*
Ug! So sweet–I am all teared up! My youngest is almost five and I wish he would stay this age forever!
Awwww, that’s so sweet, Tara! I totally agree!!!
the tender and strong love of a mother…it’s beautiful to see in you.
do you think we could write a legal contract and bind them to the things they say at this sweet age??? :)
My oldest (6 years old) says that to us all the time. She is never getting married because she wants to live with us forever. I wish i could freeze time. Seriously. Enjoy every little thing (I know you do).
oh that sweet little girl. Farron does that to me too, she gets so worried about it. I love that they love us so much!! I’m sure you’ll have a bond like that forever, where she’ll always want to be around you!
we can only hope these sensitive daughters of ours will feel this way many years from now. So sweet she is!
so precious..we go through the same thing almost daily! it breaks my heart they won’t always feel that way.
one of the best things my mom ever told me was that i’d be her baby no matter how old i was. i’m 38, but that, and my parents telling me EVERY DAY that they love me has gotten me through life. sooooo important.
yes. i, too, tell my boys that they can live with me forever. i don’t think we’re instilling independence in our children, tara. :)
–janice
Poor baby (and Mommy)!
When my daughter was 4 or 5, she said she wanted to live with us forever but knew she couldn’t. When I asked why she said “Because I’ll probably be married and Daddy won’t be happy about that.”
I never laughed so hard in my entire life.
You touch my heart on a daily basis!
My mom has neighbors whose 2 sons never did leave home. The sons are in their 40’s now and perfectly happy to continue to have mom cook, clean, and do their laundry for them. The mother is in her late 60’s but looks about 90. These men have jobs, girlfriends, and like to travel, but they literally always come home to mom & dad.
it is so funny that you posted this, because right before i read this ellie had her own sad moment. i found her on my bed with tears in her eyes. she told me that she never wanted to get married and move out of our house. i told her that she didn’t have to do that if she didn’t want to. but then i made the mistake of telling her that she probably would want to eventually. that only made things worse. i told her she was always welcome to live at home for as long as she wanted to (probably an offer i will regret making when she is thirty and still mooching off mom and dad). eventually she calmed down, but it was such a sad, sweet moment.
Awwww this one struck a cord wit me too.. I am enjoying…. totallly enjoying my 4 year son.. similar conversation was had here recently.. he is ALL about the mummy… i get the best hugs.. the nicest hand holds.. the sweetest kisses… I am in Mummy heaven knowing it wont last…lol Enjoy it whilst it does!
Oh, you made me get teary—my “baby” moved into her dorm 4 days ago—today’s the first day of college for her—I’ve managed to keep it all in ’til I read this! She too used to say she was going to live here forever—Anna is at such a sweet age, where Mommy = LOVE FOREVER! Happily, my daughter & I have been instant messaging on & off each day, and tho she is my “baby” it’s all good for both of us too! (she also talked about living w/us to living next door when little—and now she’s “next door” in the hour-away neighboring university town :) Close enough, but far enough too!)
oh tara! my little anna says the same thing. she says she doesn’t want to move out… and i’m like, what? you’re only 5, for pete’s sake! ;) what a sweet moment. enjoy it.
Amen. I was telling my wife yesterday that I don’t want our kids to get any older. Except the baby. He can get to 5 or 6, but then he has to stop. I don’t want any kids older than grade-school age. I don’t want to grow up either, I suppose.
Anna you are Adorable. What a fortunate mum? What a blessed daughter. Where can I buy one of those?
I really need your daughter to talk to my daughter (who just turned 11)and convince her that mom isn’t evil.
Just melted my heart.
I have an “off topic” question — I’ve searched all over your photography store/site and I can’t find the name of the song and artist that is playing! If you have it handy, I would love to know. It’s so quietly joyful, it makes me smile when I hear it.
I have these sad moments myself! It hurts to think that my little man is going to grow up and move out. My goal is to own 30+ acres of land and give some to each of my kids so they can live near me. Then I will watch my grandkids everyday!
She is such a sweetheart. I have enjoyed watching her blossom through your loving words and amazing photos. You are so blessed!
now i must go smooch my babies in their sleep. so sweet and innocent.
Oh my goodness, that is the sweetest story ever. =) You need to print this page out and give it to her during one of your inevitable future teen fights. ;)
Ok that totally made me cry
Tara, have you read the book “Love you Forever, Like you for Always”? I’ve posted a link to the words, but the illustrations are great too. Warning: I can’t read (or think about) this book without tearing up. I received this book 25 years ago when my son was born. I buy copies to include with my baby gifts now. Love it! And love your photos! :)
http://www.rogerknapp.com/inspire/loveforever.htm
You just about made me cry! I also have 2 daughters (age 9 and 5) and my youngest always tells me she wants to be a baby again! Oh, how I wish!! :)
sweetest, most mama gut & heart tugging, lovely post of all time, i think.
I love this story. Wouldn’t it be great if they could just stay our little girls forever?
this brought tears to my eyes. sooo precious!!
You will cherish that moment forever, along with dozens of others, but really, you wouldn’t want to miss out on the joy of seeing your kids grow up to be cool people with lives and interests and character of their own. There is a great satisfaction in kids turning into adults that you are proud to know and that you enjoy hanging out with. Ask your mom — she’ll tell you :).
I agree! Little girls this age are scrumptious. I keep holding onto Chloe because she is growing up so much since she started school. boohoo :(