What's the biggest "I can't believe they can do that now!" moment you've had? Win a £200 Smyths voucher

[geemumsnet]

From babies taking their very first steps to toddlers suddenly chatting away or becoming wonderfully independent, every child has those moments that catch you by surprise.

One day they're relying on you for everything, and the next they're showing you just how much they've grown.

Whether it was hearing their first words, watching them master a new skill or seeing their confidence shine through, it's often these everyday milestones that become the memories we treasure most.

That's why today we're celebrating those unforgettable “wow” moments you’ve had with your children and would love to hear yours.

Tell us below:

• What happened?
• Why did that moment stick with you?
• Has there been another milestone that's been just as memorable?

Join the conversation below for your chance to win a £200 Smyths toys voucher. T&Cs apply.

For me it's the independence of the late teens/early tweens. DD13 just sorts stuff out and I don't have to take her everywhere with me. She can get a dinner on for us when I'm a little later home, she can chuck stuff in the washing machine, she can articulate reasons behind her ideas of what she wants to do. I'm really enjoying the independent teen years.

one of his school friends went from her to him and he just totally accepted it as did all his school friends. in my school days (i'm 46) the child would have been bullied. it's lovely to see how far things have come

Leaving home! DS stayed at his girlfriends house while we were on holiday and just...never came back. We see him a lot but it was still a shock because it happened so suddenly and he now seems so grown up with bills to pay, etc,

When our just 12 months-old son climbed out of his cot…we assumed it had fallen over, but no, he climbed out!! (He has always been my wild one!!!)

My 4yo surprised me this summer when we forgot to pack armbands on holiday - she dived under the water and just started kicking and propelling herself through the water as she had when she was wearing armbands!

When my eldest (now twelve), who has autism and severe learning difficulties, started 'randomly' playing the melody to Bad Romance on the school piano during a parent/ teacher meeting while we were mid conversation! The teacher had mentioned he really enjoyed music time, and that while he couldn't really be taught notes, he had a talent for playing by ear, so naturally we bought him a keyboard that Christmas (incidentally from Smyths).
It was such a milestone for us, because we were worried that he wouldn't show any interest in hobbies as he wasn't really capable of holding his attention on an activity before that.
A similar 'I can't believe they can do that now' moment was when my other son speedily progressed his reading skills after we spent a lot of time doing phonics flash cards from the age of 4, as well as (mostly) nightly bedtime reading. His sight reading skills are great, and he actually goes to the year above his class to do his reading and writing. I would highly recommend to any parent to invest in flashcard phonics packs, as well as downloading old computer edutainment titles.

When my niece transitioned from balance bike to pedal bike age 2 no stabilisers, off like a shot!!♥️👶🏼🚲

When my 16 year old son asked my visiting friend, her daughter and me if we wanted a cup of coffee and a biscuit.
I was amazed he knew how to be hospitable !

watching them become independent — from needing help with everything to confidently getting on his balance bike and riding around the garden by themselves. It felt like such a little moment, but playing by getting the bike out of the shed - putting their helmet on and riding around the garden - didn't seem long ago he was taking his first steps

Stuck in traffic
Daffodils in garden next to road.
3 year old suddenly said “I wandered lonely as a cloud, when I saw a a field of golden daffodils “ No quite right but oh I was so proud!

My adopted son (came to me at 17 months) calling me mummy for the first time.
broke my heart I was finally someone’s mummy!!

My almost 20 year old is Autistic, high functioning, but 1 of the things they would regularly tell us during assessment &, following that, psychology meetings etc is that due to their autism, they would see the world differently, take things literally, never understand sarcasm. Well, they were so bloody wrong, she's the queen of sarcasm & whilst she still struggles with emotions/dysregulation that, she's mastered with bells on. Bloody good job in my family too!!! Lol

First steps at nearly 5 year old .we were told she might not walk .very happy time .so proud

My ds learning a song and singing it. It was walking in a winter wonderland and I have a treasured video of him singing it with a cute lisp in his Christmas jumper

My youngest grandson, he's 18 months old. Every time we visit he gets my footwear, he doesn't see what I walk in wearing and as yet he hasn't got it wrong. The last visit I was wearing work boots and he amazed me by bringing them to me.

My daughter took her first step towards me at 7.5 months. She looked totally shocked and didn’t try again until she was 8 months and started walking. She was like a little doll as she was so tiny. She is not athletic or sporty in any way as an adult!

Choosing clothes and putting them all on at 2 was a standout moment. The sense of wanting to wear particular things and doing it for herself was magical. At 20 still boggles me that she is an independent person who started very small.

When my eldest son 6 at the time got up independently made himself breakfast and also made some for his little brother and sister.
we always got up together and made breakfast together but this one morning he woke up much earlier got it all sorted. I just loved how thoughtful he was.

When my now teen was 3yrs old. I had a cold and was eating Lockets and he asked for one. He gave me a hug,said he loved me and that he knows what love is now........" It's like a Locket . The shell is your heart and the softness inside is love " BLEW ME AWAY !!!! We then cut out a large cardboard heart,painted it red together ,I wrote the words he'd said on it and it stayed on the fridge for years ❤️

First steps were amazing. We caught it on video and she did this little rocking back and forth to rev herself up then when she walked a few steps she was clapping herself 😍 so cute
That seemed the most major change but each milestone was great to watch.
Learning to ride a bike was a relief because my back was hurting steadying her 😂 lol

So weird that this has just come up. Today, twice, my 3 year old blew my mind. First thing was a little bit unusual but probably not for a child ha ha. He asked for multiple toys. One by one. Each one are tiny characters from different films/shows. I searched for them all and he said ‘he’s in the box in my room’ I searched the hundreds of toys and there it was. He did this with 4 different things, amazed me that he knew/could remember where they were as they were not strategically placed! Second thing was amazing almost made me cry. It was quite funny, I was chopping up some tea to put in the slow cooker, and one of the ingredients was a squeeze of a full lime, he came in the kitchen and swooped away the other half of the lime. He loves citrus fruit so was squeezing it in his mouth. When I went to take it away and put it In the bin, he said ‘no mam it’s not well’ and proceeded to do CPR on a lime, counting 1,2,3,4 as he went. That sounds so mad when I write it down but I asked him how he had seen that and he said ‘at the shops to help!’ I don’t recall him ever seeing anyone have CPR, nor me. So I’m astounded he knew! Random I know - but wholesome. Not for the lime however, by the way, as it did not survive and I had to bin it 🤣

My DD was about 4 years old and was making a 'puppet' out of a toilet roll tube. She was drawing around her hand to cut out and stick on. She is left handed, so easily drew around her right hand. I asked her if she would like me to draw around her left hand. She rolled her eyes and said she would just draw around her right hand again, and turn it over, so it was like a left hand. I was like WTF, why didn't I think of doing that.😅

I think the biggest moment was when my daughter suddenly started organising herself for school. It sounds simple, but one day I realised she didn’t need me to remind her about every little thing anymore. She packed her bag, checked what she needed and just got on with it.

My 6mo is crawling everywhere and pulling to stand already! Last baby and I want time to slow down!

My daughter who 9 last year, was picked to compete with multiple schools in a debate about poverty. The moment of being picked was special to start with as she has very low confidence. Then on the actual day, watching her debate on front of large audiences just blew me away. Every milestone is special but this was a breakthrough of public speaking and her confidence growing massively