As exciting as it is for parents to watch as their little babies grow up to be successful, independent individuals, it’s equally as disconcerting. One minute you were nurturing and holding your bundle of joy, and in the blink of an eye, they’re off to high school.
Time will never stop just for the sake of holding on to your kid’s childhood, so parents have to strive to hold on to their kid’s youth as long as they can.
The worst part of it all, it seems as though kids are growing up faster than ever! Nowadays, kids are so ready to interact with the world around them and are exposed to so many things that, for the most part, have them growing up at a much faster rate.
Is it so wrong for a parent to want to slow down the expedited process?
One loving mother, Liza Dora, says hell no. In fact, Dora acknowledges that kids need to be little for as long as they can, “even when they’re not small.”
Dora’s daughter is encouraged to be as youthful and carefree as can be. And she has a powerful message to those who don’t agree:
“Don’t tell her she’s too old for something, when her momma tells her to seek out the magic in the world around her and don’t tell her grow up; because it’ll happen faster than it should and she’ll always be my little girl.”
Though Dora knows that kids will eventually have to grow up, she suggests letting them grow while not completely abandoning their youth. In her eyes, “Children need time to grow and to play. They need boundaries and freedom in equal parts. They need people to love them and people to protect them, and for [Dora’s daughter] — I am going to do both.”
Parents, I know it’s important to nurture your child’s growth and metamorphosis into the people they’ll grow to be, but why rush the process? Take the time to read Liza Dora’s viral post, and consider letting your kids be little for as long as they can be.
Check out Liza Dora’s viral post by visiting page two, and be sure to share the message to your fellow parents!
It’s starting to happen more often, now.
A judgment made that she’s too old to be in diapers. The expectation that she has any concept of age or enough motor control to hold up two specific fingers on command from a stranger.
I had an uncle who had to bring his birth certificate to every youth football game he played in and even then, he was eventually asked to leave the league. His brother was shamed while trick-or-treating at age twelve when he towered over his peers.
My husband has been pulled over by the cops on occasion and every time he’s been asked to step out of the car, he warns the officer of his size. Because giant Black men and police officers don’t always get along.
But when you, a stranger, tell my little girl “that big girls don’t cry,” I want you to know you’re not helping. While she may look too old to be crying over a broken crayon in Target — she isn’t. She’s only two.
She still gets scared at night, of the dark and of being alone. When she gets hurt, or sick, she still only wants her momma. Even when she’s off on adventures exploring her world, she sometimes still needs a hand to hold. For balance, for reassurance and for the simple fact that it is there. Ready to help her and guide her when she needs reminding she’s not alone. When she’s had a bad dream it doesn’t matter what her shoe size is. When she misses her daddy her big-girl pants don’t help.
Don’t tell my daughter not to cry when she’s scared or unsure. Don’t squeeze her leg and joke that she “never misses a meal,” when she doesn’t know, yet, that to be thin for girls is supposed to be everything. Don’t tell her she’s too old for something, when her momma tells her to seek out the magic in the world around her and don’t tell her grow up; because it’ll happen faster than it should and she’ll always be my little girl.
Children need time to grow and to play. They need boundaries and freedom in equal parts. They need people to love them and people to protect them, and for her — I am going to do both.
I refuse to let my daughter be rushed through the time of faeries and dinosaurs; to skip over evening walks with her parents and the excitement of newborn kittens.
I won’t let her miss late nights and hot chocolate while we wait for lunar eclipses, or the chance to splash and bring ripples to the perfect puddle. For years she’ll wake up to presents under trees brought by magic and to mysterious eggs that appear in the garden. She will be little, and we’ll be grateful, because so many children don’t get to be.
So, for the sake of the biggest kids on the sports teams, and the 2-year-olds in diapers who look more like 4, and for the kids Trick-Or-Treating who look way too tall…
Let’s let them be little — even when they’re not small.
Liza Dora’s original post was first published by The Huffington Post. Check out Liza Dora’s Twitter account here.