My Baby Isn't A Baby Anymore!

Do you ever look at your children and wonder when the heck they grew up? I always say time goes by so fast and I truly believe that the days are long but the years are short. It really hit me this past week when my baby went to his first Middle School Winter Ball.

This dance is a big deal at our school and the children look forward to it many years before they get to go in the 5th grade. I remember last year and the beginning of this year Aiden saying he was not going and if he did he was only going for the chocolate fountain. It didn't take too long to change his mind about this fun night and he practiced slow dancing in our living room and was deciding who he was dancing with....all the while I'm wondering who this kid is. What?? Slow dancing with girls?! He's just a baby, right? Anyway, the dance night came and he did dress up and never left the dance floor. He says he danced with 19 girls and he probably did. We are very lucky that the kids at our school are like family and have been together since Kindergarten. And your mom works at the school and was chaperoning the dance and watching everything. I was very proud at how mature he acted and how kind he was treating his girl friends at the dance. I even told him as we were leaving that night that I was so proud of how "grown up" he was at the dance and that it made me happy and sad at the same time.

Handsome group of 5th grade boys that are like family!

This has been a year of changes for my little boy. He is in Middle School and changing classes. The homework is harder and the tests come more frequently. He spends more time talking to his friends than watching TV with mom. He begs to stay home when I have to run an errand or doesn't like to go out to dinner with his parents as often. And my least favorite, is that he wants to spend way more time on his video games and devices than our time limits allow and we don't see eye to eye on this. I get the pre-teen attitude and tell him often that I don't mind being the mean mom because it's my job to keep him safe. Any idea how many texts these kids can send per minute? It's a lot. But at the end of the day, I am proud of the young man that he is becoming and he is a lucky boy to have the wonderful friends and parents of friends in his life.

Always my baby!

So, keep growing baby boy and reaching for the stars. You will always be my baby, no matter your age. Hug your kids and enjoy every second. I know I will.