*sobs*. Oldest dd is 12

[Soubriquet]

I know it’s nothing for most of you but still sobbing

Where the hell has the last 12 years gone?! Where has my teeny tiny newborn, and then squishy little toddler gone?

My youngest is 10 so I don’t even have squishy toddler cuddles to heal me from her being the last year of being a tween.

I know all kids grow, bla bla bla….but still

Yep, they're toddlers. and then you blink, and then they're teenagers!

The days are long but the years are short.

My youngest recently turned 12.
One year until I have two teenagers...

Seems like yesterday it was mountains of duplicate and craft stuff and mud kitchens. Now its homework and clubs until 9pm and an endless amount of sports kit for washing.

But still finding random stones in pockets as they "looked interesting".

They really are. A quote stuck with once.

One day, you’ve picked them up and put them down for the last time….and you probably didn’t even notice it was the last time

I so get it @Soubriquet ... that lovely squishy gorgeous burrow your face in their tummy-ness of little ones, their explosions of giggles, the trustingness in their cuddles... so so precious... and so missed

Yes, we want them to grow up ... but boy do I miss those years!

Mine is 16 this summer. I’ll be heartbroken but I also burst with pride too.

Yep my eldest is 12 on Monday 😭😭 secondary school in sept and it’s all getting a bit much 😭

My oldest is 23 and he's still my squishy 6ft 4 built like a brick shithouse baby 🤣

My youngest just turned 8, and that felt quite significant somehow.

The days are long, but the years are short, as they say.

Dd is already in year 7. She loves her secondary school

She is so excited to start, she’s very much ready but I’m so scared to be honest.

I was terrified. Not only was it a new school where none of her friends were going, she also had to get the bus as it’s a 30 drive away. She is a confident girl in places she knows with people she knows, but can be awkward and shy at first. But no, she did brilliantly. After the first week, it was old news for her

Mine is 6 next week! All I can think is, where has the time gone! My baby 🥺🥺🥺😄

Edit, happy birthday to your ds ❤️

I still get hugs from my 19 year old son a couple of times a day!

Starting secondary is a lot easier (for the parent) the second time round. You know all the unwritten stuff like booking parents evening appointments the minute they open and the right sort of PE bag.

‘My oldest is 23 and he's still my squishy 6ft 4 built like a brick shithouse baby 🤣’

as the owner of a primary age DS who will probably be this size at 23, this makes me smile 😊I look forward to him having to bend down to give me big bear hugs - and he’ll always be my little squidgelet, even if he rolls his eyes at me when i say it.

I found it so hard when my eldest child (a DD) turned 12. It wasn't just the number, it was the very sudden and dramatic change from little girl to full on teenager. It was so sudden it almost felt like overnight. Must have been a sudden surge of hormones or something. I felt like the loving little girl had disappeared forever. She's now 14 and absolutely wonderful but I still miss the little girl who used to enjoy my company and loved doing things with me. It is painful to see them growing up and pulling away from you, even when you know it's natural and normal.

Oh I still get hugs from both my two but it’s the ones where the little toddlers fold themselves into you. When their squishy little hands clutch the back of your head whilst they give you that open mouthed kiss. Where they have the chubby little tummy and giggle and kick when you kiss it

It is painful to see them growing up and pulling away from you, even when you know it's natural and normal.

I so agree.
I remind myself daily that I wouldn't want it any other way. I'm grateful my boys are growing & progressing just like they should.

But gosh I miss my tiny, smiley, gentle, baby boys with their tiny teeth and fluffy blonde hair who loved their Mummy above all things 😭

I shall practice gratitude that I got to experience it at all... After a big cry... 😭

We are so lucky.

My youngest turned 17 last month and it’s pretty scary for me that in less than a year both of my children will be adults.

My eldest is also the age that I was when I fell pregnant with her and it’s weird. I still see my kids as young but when I got pregnant I felt so old and grown up.

I also find it weird that I have friends my age (early 40s) who are still having babies, but others are having grandchildren instead. One actually had her own child just a few weeks after her eldest had a baby. I’m sure this has always happened but I think now that I’m seeing people the same age as me, it’s very different now.

Oh stop! That's so sad!

I have made DD's (7 and 10) promise to never stop hugging me. Although I know they will.

DS is 12 and I get an occasional hug but yep I think I 'put him down for the last time' quite a few years ago now.

I felt like that a few years ago OP but now I'm feeling really positive. Youngest is turning 12 soon. I can go out for a walk/ drink / grocery shopping whenever I want. I've started evening courses and exercise classes. I've reconnected with old friends and made the effort to socialise with new friends. Ive also become a bit addicted to Netflix and joined a book club. I am slowly reconnecting with DH. Other than providing meals, taxi service and emotional support, having older kids is a million times easier so far than younger.

I have the advantage of working with little kids so I get that cute fix every day. I do love the little ones but am grateful every time I leave and go home.

I think its a bit of a grieving process, I feel I've come out the other side.

My only just turned 18 and I'll never blow a raspberry on his tummy again. I miss the funny little earnest toddler so much.

Yes I agree that we should celebrate the positives too. Although there are still many worries, it's much less exhausting now. I feel more like the old me and have so much more time to do my own thing. DH and I are finally able to reconnect as partners (not just parents). We can go out for dinner or to the cinema without having to worry about babysitters. It is liberating.

Goodness. What has been said to get deleted on a thread like this?!

Oh well... now I'm sobbing...