Switch On - Big Girl Now

My 3 year old Lyn just surprised me tonight by announcing that she is now a big girl.  Every night we do the same ritual to get them to go to bed.  After all the brush teeth, cleaning up, change to pj's, some reading, cuddling and kiss the boys time.  We always have our own hugging time in a chair in her bedroom for a few minutes.  After that, it is off to bed time.

Tonight, she said " mama I don't need  our "lambing" / cuddle time anymore, I am a big girl now".  Of course, I am not ready for it.  So I did a lot of coaxing  and asked her to give me just one more little hug before I put her to bed.  Luckily, she finally gave in and said " ok, but just a little bit".  Good thing, the little bit still turned out to be the usual, which is until we both are ready for her to be in bed.  Not too long, since I still have the brother to tuck in, but not too short either.

This episode just reminds me on how fast kids do grow up.  I remember with Vyn, I usually consult my baby book almost every morning just to know what milestone I have to look for and what to do so he will be able to be where he should be for the next week.  Time seems sooo slow when he was just an only child.  I sometimes can't wait for him to grow up fast. 

But with Lyn, that book has not been opened since her birth.  It almost felt like, I did not care if she reach every milestone with her age group or not.  As it turned out, kids will grow up.  The difference is if we just allow ourselves to enjoy every minute of it or if we make ourselves get stressed out looking for and catching up with what the book or other people says. 

A fellow karate kid parent told me that he gives as much of his available time to be with his only child now.  He said that once the kid turned 18, we don't know how much time they will be able to share with the parents by then. 

Oh well, I guess it is time to brace myself for when the cuddle time will get shorter and altogether nonexistent.   But as long as they are still living with us, they will always have to give us a "goodnight kiss", right?   Now, I wonder if  that is possible with teenagers.