My girl is perfect. Right now she is still very much a little girl, but with some more grown up qualities coming through that are so endearing they melt my heart. I just want to bottle up the way she is now and keep her like this forever.
The little girl smiles with delight every time she sees me or Daddy. She likes to be picked up and cuddled. Her idea of heaven is to be cuddled up to both of us. She would stay like that forever, she would never want to move. The little girl holds my hand everywhere we go. She never lets go and I love it. She’s 7, going on 8, and sadly many kids of her age would have already decided it’s not cool. But she holds my hand because she loves me and because she does things properly and never breaks any rules (even though I don’t impose this rule on her, she just sees it as the right thing to do, and who am I to complain?). If I’m not around, she will hold my mum’s hand in the same way.
The little girl can get nervous and anxious. She is afraid of the dark and gets panicky and stressed when she has a cold, feeling like she can’t breathe. I do my best to calm her down and to avoid the things that stress her and make sure others do too. Maybe I’m wrong to do this, maybe I’m spoiling her a bit because she’s my ‘baby’, maybe she needs to just deal with it.
But my grown up girl is organised and helpful. If I need help with anything, I tend to ask her rather than the boys. I don’t think I’m being sexist, she is just genuinely more helpful than them and seems to know what’s going on with the whole family so much better than them.
My grown up girl takes life seriously, but also squeezes every ounce of pleasure out of it that she can. She is a chatterbox and will talk in great detail about the things that matter to her – whether it’s hairstyles and TV talent shows or school, dance class or somewhere she has visited.
She’s in the school choir and they recently went to a restaurant to sing to diners at lunchtime. She savoured every second of that experience. When we drive past, as we often do, she points it out excitedly. Then shows me the entrance they went in, where the other entrances lead to, where they crossed the road, which teacher helped them cross the road… It is this enthusiasm for the small things in life that I adore and wish we could hold on to forever.
My big girl has recently got some new, big , trendy glasses. I was sceptical about them at first. I thought they would be too big for her little face, but they suit her better than any glasses she’s had before. And just as her very first glasses brought about a change in personality, so these glasses have given her character. She is forever pulling funny faces and striking hip hop poses. The fun glasses have brought fun to my girl.
My big girl has started washing her own hair and doing her own hair for school. Although the last minute demand to ‘do my hair’ before school was sometimes annoying, I miss it now I’m not needed. And I miss the fun we used to have when I washed her hair. These things are signs she’s growing up and I want to slow it down.
She’s heading for the tween years – for stroppy and feisty. She won’t want to cuddle me and hold my hand like she does. That’s why I want to bottle her exactly as she is right now and keep my lovely little girl just a bit longer.
January 6, 2014
What a great picture you paint, you capture that feeling of growing up and letting go….bitter sweet I guess.
January 6, 2014
Awe, she may not become a stroppy tween-teen she may surprise you.
January 6, 2014
Aww Sarah! That’s a beautiful snapshot of a moment in time & I agree with Hellies Corner, she may surprise you!
January 6, 2014
My daughter is 7 and I recognise much of what you say-those subtle changes and how helpful she is. Although the hair washing is unlikely to be done by her for a while yet! She too has worries. Such a lovely post 🙂
January 6, 2014
very sweet post – you might be lucky – my 13 year old daughter is still like this
January 6, 2014
It’s so sweet how you always refer to your daughter as perfect, you clearly have a very strong bond and loving relationship. I think she is going to benefit greatly from being a third child, and having all your wisdom and hindsight from lessons learnt with the boys. As Afra says you may get lucky #MagicMoments
January 6, 2014
I love the bond you and your daughter have and the way in which you talk about her so proudly. x
January 6, 2014
Make the most of her while she’s still completely adorable. Maybe she’ll stay that way as she’s a third child and you’ll have perfected handling teens by the time she joins in as well.
#MagicMoments
January 6, 2014
What a lovely post 🙂
#MagicMoments
January 6, 2014
Wonderful post full of childhood magic, she will be just a lovely, just different as a teen!
January 6, 2014
That is so lovely, you obviously have such an amazing relationship with your daughter. Long may it last!
January 6, 2014
awww Sarah what a really beautiful post and one i so related to!
thank you for sharing and linking up with #MagicMoments x
January 6, 2014
I could cry! Such a lovely post.
My best friend, was so strong willed, she didn’t care what her friends thought… she held her mums hand all through her teenage years and still does now – in her late twenties!
Savour it yes, but she might never stop holding your hand! And even if she doesn’t… she’ll still be holding your heart. xx
January 6, 2014
Thank you very much, everyone. So good to hear from some of you that she might not change. I don’t think she will, and you’ve all given me hope!
That’s lovely to hear about your friend holding her mum’s hand, Emma! Absolutely gorgeous!
January 6, 2014
She sounds soooo lovely. I hope her innocence stays with her forever (whilst of course becoming savvy when she needs it in life). From the little snippet in the collage she looks like she’s taken after you 🙂
January 7, 2014
Heartwarming Sarah!! She sounds wonderful, there are many traits I recognise here in Madam (same age) yet I feel sad to say I don’t think we’re as close or cuddly – she doesn’t hold my hand much or snuggle close. I’m going to make an effort to change that before she’s too old, if it wasn’t so late I’d have her in my arms now.
Your little lady sounds wonderful but then you’re a pretty wonderful mum too 🙂 xx
January 7, 2014
This really strikes a chord – L is just 7 but this is so familiar, why does the time have to fly by so quickly? I’m worried that teenage years might take this away from us and I want to bottle it too. Such a lovely blog post for you and your girl to come back to when she’s older x
January 8, 2014
Such a lovely post Sarah, what a wonderful relationship you have with your little girl xx #MagicMoments
January 9, 2014
Oh wow Sarah what a post that is just full of love. I think this is the most moving post of yours I have ever read. And as for bottling her up – I can so empathise. Keep hold of that hand for as long as she will let you. xxx
January 10, 2014
I know what you mean about wanting to hang onto the cuddles and the chats – we are very much still in that zone too and I don’t want it to end.
January 10, 2014
Ah, such a beautiful post. My daughter’s just 4, and I’ll be holding onto these cuddles & hand-holds while I can x
January 10, 2014
It’s such a lovely post. I have starting to see the same tiny changes and have the same feelings with my eldest. He is almost 9 now, and all through last year I was torn between him wanting to be a teenager already and me wanting him to stay little just a while longer… I guess I’m lucky that his brother announced that he will stay a baby forever 🙂
It is a precious time with them, and a wonderful post to go with it.
January 10, 2014
I going to be corny here but this post just made me feel all warm and lovely. I love the feeling when they hold your hand – my favourite is when your walking somewhere at night and they’re holding your hand – that absolute trust and love in you as their mum is something I never want to stop. I love the family snuggles too # pocolo
January 10, 2014
What a lovely post! I love the way you talk about your daughter! Beautiful x
#PoCoLo
January 10, 2014
Such a lovely post. Such amazing words for ur lil darling. Xx #magicmoments
January 10, 2014
Lovely words of praise, I hope she will be able to read them when she grows up and grasp the extent of your love! #PoCoLo
January 11, 2014
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January 11, 2014
Whoops! Sorry – commented with the wrong profile!! This is so gorgeous – and EXACTLY how I feel about Grace. I don’t want her to not want to hold my hand and will value that for as long as I can. Thank you so much Sarah for linking to PoCoLo x
January 12, 2014
Thanks very much, everyone. It’s so nice to hear how everyone enjoyed the post so much. I must say it’s my favourite one I’ve written for a long time! It’s good to hear that there are so many other adorable children out there too!
I would definitely like her to read it when she’s older, Oana, and I hope she’s still just as adorable then!