This afternoon, Emily suddenly asked me, "Mom, when will you get old?" I was taken aback, then said, "When you no longer need me to tell you stories about the clouds at night." She thought for a moment and said seriously, "Then I never want to grow up."

I laughed, but felt a little bittersweet. When a four-year-old says "forever," she means it with all her heart. And I know she will grow up, forget those cloud stories, and have her own worries. But at least for now, on this spring afternoon, with the sunlight slanting across the living room floor, she's hugging my legs and saying she never wants to grow up.

I'm writing this down, for the me in the future who might forget. And to remind myself: this is the best time, even when I'm so tired I want to cry.

#ParentingMoments #GrowingUpMoments #LetterToMyFutureSelf