“Mommy,” he said as I snuggled next to him in his bed, “I want to stay little forever.”
When I asked him why he wanted to stay little forever, he replied without even thinking:
“I don’t ever want to get too big to snuggle with you.”
I choked back the tears, realizing that this adorable little seven-year old was growing up way too fast, and knowing from experience that there was no way that I could possibly slow this process down.
It doesn’t seem like it has been that long since I was snuggling with my two teenage sons, back when they were still small enough to fit on my lap. Now they are nearly grown, towering over me in height by several inches. Even the one who used to pride himself in being my “snuggle buddy” is now 6’3″ tall, and snuggling is kind of out of the question.
Where has the time gone? I do not remember giving it permission to disappear quite so quickly. But, each year seems to pass with greater speed than the one before.
There is no sugar-coating the fact that sometimes motherhood is just plain difficult. There are stages when the days feel like weeks.
Yet, somehow, the weeks feel like days, passing so quickly and almost imperceptibly that you probably don’t even notice how your once chubby toddler is slimming down and growing taller by the day. You don’t realize how quickly your daughter is developing into a young woman, until it hits you one day like a ton of bricks. You can’t put your finger on the day when your son passes you up in height and starts talking with a voice so low that you barely recognize it.
Then, all of a sudden, you are talking about college applications and church missions, and you cannot even fathom how you have possibly reached this point. All you can think about is the child who once snuggled on your lap, and how those days are now only a beautiful memory.
I am not going to tell you to enjoy every moment of motherhood, because I don’t really believe that is possible. However, I will tell you that the magic of motherhood happens in small moments of joy that are often fleeting. Look for them. Savor them.
And, please, enjoy those snuggles while you can. Before you know it, they will become fewer and farther between, until they fade away completely, leaving you with an empty lap and a heart full of warm memories of days past.
I’m going to hold on to these waning days of snuggling with my youngest with everything that I have.
What magical moments of joy have you noticed in your life today? Take a moment to write them down or share them with a friend.
This is part of a 31-day series about small and simple things. Read the rest of the series here.
