Most of us parents would have experienced or eventually come to experience the bittersweet moments when our little baby (regardless of age) does something or stops doing something, to signify he or she is growing up. We often say or wish in our hearts that they would grow up a little faster so that perhaps we could resume alittle bit of that sleeping in, we so missed or they would become more self sufficient and we could have more time to ourselves. Then we hit those bittersweet moments and we may do a small victory dance for all of 5 seconds and then wish that we could hold this little or not so little being in our arms and that they would never grow up.

Signs my baby boy is growing up

1) Understanding and respecting ownership
Yes, it is a milestone for them to comprehend their ownership over something and taking care of what belongs to them but it is a bigger milestone when they understand and respect other people’s ownership. We were at waterplay this morning when Jah spotted two boys playing with a big sailboat toy. He asked me if he could sit near them to watch them play. As he sat there, I could tell that it took every ounce of effort in him, not to touch that sailboat even though he wanted so badly to join them. While I probably could have asked the boys if Jah could join them, I decided not to because I wanted to acknowledge and praise his self-control and respect for other’s ownership. I could see the big boy trying to rein in the little boy in him who wanted to give in to that impulse to reach over. I was really proud of him in that moment!

2) Protectiveness over loved ones
Bella fell over in school yesterday and hit the bridge of her nose. We decided to play up her injury when we picked Jah up. We wanted him to feel responsible for Bella and to understand that he had to look after her and protect her from harm. We didn’t receive much of a reaction from him when we broke the news of Bella’s injury. However when I least expected it, Jah leaned over towards her during dinner and softly but firmly asked her “Bella, what happened to you?” 5 simple words that spoke volumes and melted my heart.

3) Co-existing with a sibling and loving them as an extension of themselves
For some people, this might be their child asking for a sibling. Some may say that the kid is starting to feel lonely and wants a playmate. I say that the child is emotionally matured enough now and realises that he has the capability to love and think for someone other than himself. We had Bella when Jah was only 18 months and while I still maintained the age gap works for us, it wasn’t easy in the early days. It still isn’t but it is definitely getting better. And as Jah held his sister’s hand on Sunday morning and asked that she follow him for bubble play, I knew he now understood co-existence and companionship. Even though he mostly did his own thing in the bubble pit, he checked on her occasionally to make sure she was also enjoying herself and I knew at that moment that he also saw her as an extension of himself. His family, his sister.

So these are my proud mummy moments..these are also my bittersweet moments..

JahBella’s Mummy