Thank you, moms of big kids, for helping me savor every moment with my little kids.
It has become a cliche and is the subject of many memes and shared Instagram reels. The rally against the “savor every moment” crowd. The “you only have eighteen summers” crowd. And, of course, the tear-inducing “you only have little kids for four years” crowd. The joke is always that being overwhelmed and needing a break is normal and okay! And it is. But it took me befriending a mom of older kids to see the other side of things.
My kids are four and six. They’re still little. I still consider my baby a toddler (and also because I’m an Italian mom, he’s a boy, and he will be babied into adulthood). But they’re on the verge of being big, especially my six-year-old girl. The cribs are gone, the baby and toddler clothing is too small, and we’ve started to swap Mickey’s Clubhouse for High School Musical.
I have a friend who has older kids ranging from 12-15, and she loves to love my little ones and reminisce. She jokes about how her kids ignore her when she tries to snuggle them. Her kids have big kid problems like sports and college. She reminds me in a loving way how much she misses the stage my kids are at now.
Spending time with a big kid mom has made me really enjoy my little kids that much more. I snuggle on the couch. I do not kick them out of my bed. I breathe in their sweaty little heads.
When you have friends with kids the same age and younger, it is easy to stay in your bubble. You all have the same problem of sleepless nights, tantrums, and sibling fights. It takes a different perspective to help you appreciate the age and stage you are in.
I still need a break sometimes. Being a working mom is tough. But thanks to a big kid mom, enjoying every moment has been easier.
