Growing Up Makes Mommy Sad

Her baby face is all about gone, if not gone already. She has already shed 6 baby teeth and her big girl teeth are clearly in a race to grow back in. She's tall...really tall! All legs and lean muscle. She looks like an athlete at the mere age of 5 and she's beautiful. She's funny. Very funny. Her remarks are right on point, sprinkled with a little bit of humor and tons of sarcasm. She doesn't need me as much anymore and that makes me really sad. It also makes me proud of the job her father and I have done thus far, but still, it makes me really sad. The more she grows, the more she learns. The more she learns, the more her confidence develops. She'll need us less and that's ok. That's how its supposed to be, I suppose. I told her the other day that I wish she was still a baby. She wished she were too so that I would be happy. "I am happy", I told her. "Even if I'm growing up"? "Yes, even if you're growing up". That was hard for me to say. She still likes to cuddle and give me lots of kisses. She still holds my hand and if given the choice, she chooses to be with me. However, those times are starting to be noticeably fewer. She spends more time alone, reading, drawing, playing. I'm ok with that. Independence is an awesome trait! It makes the times when she slips back under my wing and asks to be cuddled that much more special. One day there won't be a whole lot of these mommy-daughter moments. Life will get in the way...mine and hers...going in different directions, at different speeds, but that's ok. Growth creates growth and that is what I have always wanted for her. To grow tall, strong and brave. Independent and free with the knowledge that if she ever feels the need to stop and turn around, she will see me. And that's ok too.