You know what they say about life as a parent…long days, short years. When parenting gets tough, as it frequently does, we can be tempted to wish away the hours until bedtime, but what about all those amazing moments that make being a parent all worthwhile? All those incredible heart melting little things that we know we will miss about our children when they’re older.
We hear it every single day….they grow up so fast and before you know it – as the old wise ones say – boom! they are leaving home. So today, I’ve called on fab fellow parenting bloggers to collectively forget about the tears and tantrums and shine a light on all the wonderful things that we can sometimes take for granted as parents and that we’ll massively miss about our children when they’re older.
The kisses and the cuddles. I think I’ll miss those the most. – The Mum Diaries
That one day they won’t need me – they’ll be big enough to do stuff for themselves. – Winging it With Two Boys
Those chats about everything and nothing. When you literally sit chatting for hours and I know one day they won’t have time for that. – Soph Obsessed
When they squeeze in the bath with you most evenings! – Katy Kicker
Holding hands. There’s nothing like feeling their warm little hand in yours and thinking “I grew you. How incredible is that?” – Make Do and Push
Being the first person they want to tell/share everything with. – Twinderelmo
Reading bedtime stories. – Odd Socks and Lollipops
How they make you laugh and smile every single day. Even on bad days. – My Boys Club
Nuzzling them in the neck! You know when you kiss them and breathe them all in at the same time. – Mumma Scribbles
Being their absolute favourite person in the whole world. – Sandy Toes and Scooters
Being able able to lift them up and give them kisses and cuddles up in my arms. – Dolly Dowsie
Bath times. We have a ritual – my husband plays his guitar and sings and we all sing along. It is magical. – Mrs H’s Favourite Things
That at the moment I’m her whole world and she is mine. She’ll always be mine but I know that I won’t always be hers. – Mummy In a Tutu
The craziness in the house. When they get older they won’t want to dance madly around the living room to Disney anymore!! – Emma Reed
Their heir sense of wonder and the funny little questions they ask! It’s a big, exciting world when you’re small and I hope they always keep that sense of adventure. – Nicola Says
Going to watch my boys play football. Hopefully it won’t end and we’ll still be there at West Ham watching them as adults! – Mrs Mummy Penny
The look of love in my baby’s eyes as I am feeding him. I well up whenever I think about it ending. – Verily Victoria Vocalises
That absolute innocence that seems to disappear so rapidly. Childhood is short so I want to enjoy every minute. – Living With A Jude
Bedtime cuddles and the way they cuddle up to you before bed, talking about their day and asking random questions. – Relentlessly Purple
How they innocently believe you can solve any problem. – Mummy Travels
Waking up and discovering a little warm body has somehow appeared in the bed overnight. – Pink Pear Bear
The kiss I give at night time when I go in to check on my son. I love seeing him smile in his sleep. – The London Mum
The daft words they say when they are trying hard to get it right. They grow out of them and although that’s right, it’s always a shame. – The Brick Castle
The little things that they find joy and humour in, I almost fear for the day when sound of a trump isn’t the funniest thing in the world! – Life With Boys
Seeing my daughter all kitted out in her ballet gear and skipping down the road in absolute innocent delight in it. – Motherhood: The Real Deal
Well I don’t know about you but I am feeling incredibly emotional after writing that. What will you miss most about your children when they’re older? Do share in a comment below.
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Interesting post this. It’s quite funny to read as someone who’s got a 20 year old that’s at Uni as a lot of the things you mentioned will all get superseded by other positive memories as they get older 😉
Aww, what a lovely post. I remember the day both my eldest two boys left home. It was so sad knowing they didn’t need me no more 🙁
There are so many things here I was nodding along with. I will miss when they climb into bed for cuddles. There will come a time when that just ain’t cool
Oh this brought a lump to my throat. All of these things, I hate how fast the time goes!
Aw isn’t it crazy how time flies? I think its lovely that even something as simple as holding their hand can be a memory that you can hold onto for years to come.
Time really does fly and has a parent of two now in their 20’s you do still get hugs, only big bear hugs where you can’t breathe. There are still plenty of moments to cherish
I would miss the endless demands for cuddles and kisses for sure.
Thank you for including mine. I do feel like I cheated because I already know what you really miss later on and most of those folk guessed! 😀 x
I must admit this post brought a tear to my eye… thinking about all the things I’m going to miss when my two little ones grow up. It will fly by too, its so important to make the most of it whilst there still little.
My eldest is 13 and I feel like I’m counting down the days to when he grows up. But then I think it’s a gradual process as they grow up you lose tiny bits here and there without realising
Oh gosh. I’m going to miss all of these things and so much more. My daughter is 4 on Saturday and I’m scared about how fast it has gone already. I used to love picking her up and carrying her around, but now she’s getting too heavy, so that’s one thing I’m definitely going to miss. x
I guess my parents must be feeling this now since we’ve all left the nest and though we try to spend as much time with them as possible. its not always the same as when we lived at home
Thank you for all the lovely comments it’s so nice the response this post got – it obviously tugged at a few heart strings!
Sticky little hands in yours! Magic! #coolmumclub
Love this! After another sleep deprived night, sometimes it’s hard to think of all the positives, but this has really helped! #coolmumclub
I’ll really miss the cuddles. I’ll miss building his Lego with him, love building Lego! I’ll miss the noise I think, it’ll be too quiet if he’s always out and about #coolmumclub
Don’t miss it, live it! With a child turning 18 on Friday, it does change but it also gets better in other ways. Enjoy the ride parents. Xxx #coolmumclub
Love love love this. Pick up cuddles is the biggest one for me. I had surgery last summer and was unable to lift anything more than a cup for 6 weeks. I was honestly prepared to never be able to pick up anything more than 5kg for life which of course meant no more pick up cuddles ever. I cannot tell you how much I cried picking up and cuddling my littles for the last time before my op. I’m relieved to say that all went well and now 9 months later we’re back to the “up-duddles” after all! ❤ I think I’ll still be trying to pick them up when they’re 23! Thanks for hosting #coolmumclub xx
Oooh I do love this post. I spend a lot of time shuttling between being exasperated by my kids needing me to do everything from them, and dreading the day they don’t need me any more! xx #coolmumclub
So many things on the list i’ll miss. I’m hoping they’ll be replaced with new pleasures though: every phase ending so far has brought new and wonderful things and that’s what I like to dwell on! #cool mum club.
Oh man! All the tears on #coolmumclub today. This is equally beautiful and terrifying. Make time stop!
Yes, but you get other things that kind of compensate. Watching the Tubblet becoming her own person and being able to argue her case against Brexit coherently with older members of her family was lovely. I was so proud!
This is so precious! I’m definitely going to miss her being so open and positive with me. I’m not looking forward to those teenage years!!
#coolmumclub
Holding hands with them is literally the best thing ever. With 4 littles I am already sad that I can’t hold all their hands all of the time 😉 #coolmumclub
Yes to all of these! Their little hands as they grow up. Being their favorite person in the whole world. Sometimes it is hard because you have no personal time or space but in the blink of an eye it will be over. #coolmumclub
My baby is only 5 months old so this is like a list of what I’ve got to come and I’m already emotional that one day it will be gone! They actually do grow up so fast! There’s always something new to enjoy though.
#coolmumclub
Lovely list. It’s definitely holding hands with them, and their child smell #coolmumclub
It’s funny because I’m ALWAYS moaning about how the kids are so demanding, but I’m sure the day they no longer need me, I’ll be totally lost…
Gorgeous post, that makes me want to go and give them one more bedtime hug. In fact, I think I will.
Happy Easter #CoolMumClub Partner in crime! x
Lovely post. Definitely all the cuddles and kisses, and particularly the little hands in mine. #coolmumclub
So many things on this list brought a tear to my eye. I’m not ready to think about it just yet xx#coolmumclub
Hey lovely just to let you know the link In this comment will be broken now as I’ve changed my domain name from ettie and me.com to http://www.thehalcyonyears.com. Just trying to save people getting broken links because of me xx
I love this post. So many things that are beautiful about parenthood in amongst all the challenges that daily life brings. I know I will miss the way my girls love to snuggle with me, the way they tell me several times a day that I’m their favourite mummy and the feel of those little hands in mine. #coolmumclub
Most days I wish away all the annoying day to day tiresome behaviour
and then at bedtime I backtrack my thoughts of the day and I panic that they will be grown up in a blink of an eye! x #coolmumclub
This really tugged at my heartstrings! Childhood disappears so quickly and whilst I am proud of how they are maturing, it is sad that they are no longer small #coolmumclub
Reading this saddens me that they are slipping through my fingers. They are perfect at this age. #CoolMumClub