Now, I know that a third grader is hardly a preschooler. But, I have a four year old that insists she is all grown up. Why do they want to grow up so badly? I always begin the bittersweet tears when my kid reaches the age of four. Five years old is entirely too old and I feel like my mothering days are over. Once a child reaches five or six years, your mother days are not over but a chapter is over. While a new one begins it does not erase the sadness that your baby is on her way to full kidhood. Having four kids, I know how fast they grow and I would do anything to see a chubby cheeked toddler again. I would love to teach the ABCs again. I never will…at least to my own children.
Okay…enough weeping. Your kid has a point. By the time your child is a preschooler, she is no longer a baby. She should now receive the rights afforded to her by being a potty trained, no more blankie (unless you are my kid), holds a spoon right, big girl. Those rights are the the right not to be babied. It is time to make the transition in allowing more responsibilities even if it is just clearing the table or feeding the dog. It is time to allow her to do as much as she can in an attempt to learn more and do more. What a wonderful time to see your child learn, explore, and create. Yes, even if it breaks your heart.
It is unfair to treat a preschooler like a baby. Enjoy the growth of your child so you can take delight in all phases of motherhood. I see old pictures and I am nearly driven to tears because I miss the old days so much. I never believed I would grieve the ending of baby cries and toddler antics. But I do. Yet, I know I have to allow my child to grow up…slowly…in the proper time.