They Don’t Stay Little

Lately I’ve found myself getting emotional in moments I didn’t expect. A laugh in the kitchen. A grandchild reaching for a mixing spoon. A conversation that suddenly sounds a little more grown-up than it did last year. I think it’s because I’m watching them change right in front of me.

People always tell you children grow up fast. What they don’t tell you is that it happens a little bit at a time. One day they’re asking you to tie their shoes. Then one day they’re helping you carry groceries. One day they’re sitting beside you coloring pictures. Then one day they’re telling you about their own dreams and plans.

The change is so gradual that sometimes you don’t notice it until a moment catches you off guard. Maybe it’s a photograph. Maybe it’s a familiar smile that suddenly looks older. Maybe it’s realizing the little hand that once fit entirely inside yours doesn’t anymore.

I’ve been thinking about that lately while spending time with my grandchildren.

It Happens A Little At A Time

Not with sadness exactly. More with gratitude. Because I know these days are precious. The baking days. The messy counters. The questions. The stories. The moments when nobody is in a hurry and everyone is simply together.

I find myself wanting to hold onto those moments a little longer. Not because I want them to stay little forever. But because I understand now that every season has its own kind of magic. And before we know it, another season arrives.

It Happens A Little At A Time

So these days I’m trying to pay attention. To the laughter. To the conversations. To the small things that don’t seem important until years later. Because someday these children will be grown. And I hope when they look back, they remember a grandmother who loved spending time with them, who baked cookies with them, listened to their stories, and was grateful for every season she got to share with them.

They don’t stay little. But the memories do.