This was an insightful post. I think parenting is small versions of this constantly. For example, this year kid lamented that none of her friends seem to want to play pretend games on the playground anymore. They want to sit and gossip, or play sports. She says she's opting to play sports instead of sitting around because she wants to get her energy out, but she misses the pretend play (fairies, superheroes, magic) from last year. I supported her choice to play ball and encouraged her to feel out some of the other girls because maybe there are others like her who'd like to play pretend again. Maybe I shouldn't have said it this way, but I what I told her was, "Listen, you only have another year or so where you'll want to play this kind of pretend and I hate for you to waste it. It's such a beautiful part of life that we tend to grow out of to a degree and I don't want you to lose that so soon if you're not ready." I don't think she's found any other girl who wants to play pretend yet, though. They're all so ready to move on to being older and cooler and "too grown up" for that. But my girl tells me at night, "I don't want to grow up yet. I like being a child. I'll be a grown up for a very long time. I don't want to give this up yet."

Maybe that wasn't the best example since that is something she still wants to do. Haha. Maybe a better example would have been the little toys in the playroom that she hasn't touched in two years and I realized just recently that part is done. Over. Gone. And while I'm glad that means I can get rid of some of this stuff, it's also sad to think she'll never be that little girl on the floor, moving her toy people around, taking them on adventures. I was up for a few more years of that, personally. :)

Love you and all our kids. <3