Often parents can't wait for their children to outgrow one stage to get to another. For instance, "I can't wait until he's out of diapers," or "I can't wait until she starts preschool." Today, I'm sure there are also parents who moan, "I can't wait until they move out." But you get the point. My kids are still young, 10 and 8. And I can say that I have actually enjoyed my kids at every stage of their development.
So for the first time the other day I was thinking, "Boy, I wish they could stay this age forever." As I had that thought, I recalled mothers while I was growing up occasionally alluding to the loss of "their babies" when referring to their maturing kids. I didn't get it then, but I understand now. With my children, there is still an innocence to them, a naivete; they are yet unfamiliar with so much of the cynicism, crass, and seedy underbelly of the world; they certainly aren't angels, but there is still a sweetness to them.
That day I put on Pets Sounds and listened to "Caroline No," Brian Wilson's melancholy protest of disappointment of seeing a beautiful little girl growing up and inevitably changing, losing her "happy glow." It made me sad.
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