Losing Baby

As I was tidying up yesterday, I came across several pictures of Dearest S at her school concert when she was just 3. She was still a baby in those photographs. I looked up and closely watched Dearest S as she is now, 4 years after those pictures were taken. She has definitely outgrown her baby looks and now holds the appearance of any normal school-age child during middle childhood. Her face is thinner, her body slimmer and her arms, torso and legs are longer. Even how she moves and talk is different.

While she was jumping about playing tennis on her Wii, I started thinking that in another 4 to 5 years, that childish appearance and manner will disappear and before I know it, I'll have a teenager in my hands. A teenager is no longer a child. She'll be a very young adult. Adult?? My baby an adult??? But it was only yesterday that I was still reading her bedtime stories, tucking her to sleep, changing her diapers, encouraging her to take that first step, mashing up her food. Where did that all go? It's like being in a time warp from those days to now. I was grief stricken. I'm losing my baby!

I called Dearest S away from the Wii and asked her to sit next to me. I embraced my child in my arms and as I was stroking her hair, I started talking to her.

Abu Dhabi Mommy: "Dearest S, one day, you are going to want a boyfriend and you'll feel like he is the center of your world. Never hide him from me and always, always know that you can talk to me about him or anything else in your life."

Dearest S pushed my hands away, jumped up from the sofa and exclaimed;

Dearest S: "Mommy!!! Why are you telling me all this? Can't you wait till I'm older to have this talk? You're making me vomit!!"

And just like that, I had my baby back. :)