18 Specific (But Very, Very Relatable) Moments When Parents Realized Their Kid Was Growing Up
My first baby just recently turned a year old, and I found myself feeling strangely emotional on her birthday. It didn't seem right that she could be growing up so fast. So when I stumbled upon a Reddit thread about the moments that define 'growing up,' I couldn't help but read. Redditor u/megi9999 asked, "When did you realize your 'little one' was turning into a 'big kid?'" Here's what people said.
1."I was at a food court for lunch with my son around age four and we actually had a real conversation. It was pretty neat. I thought, wow, he's a real person."
2."My oldest son (three, almost four) has hit so many milestones and transitions over the last year. He entered preschool, became more social with his peers, figured out potty training (after a looong few months). But recently, the kicker is that he made the switch from calling me 'mama' to 'mom!' When they say it goes by fast, they aren't kidding!"
3."One of the moments that it became most obvious was when he didn't run for a hug from me after getting hurt."
4."When my five-year-old son stopped being interested in monster trucks/toy cars. Now he is obsessed with sports, which I absolutely love. But the fact that he doesn't get super excited when we go through the Matchbox/Hotwheels aisle at stores genuinely breaks my heart."
5."When picking her up went from a bicep curl to a squat."
6."When we went swimming and I was like, 'Hey, we should go swim to this spot,' and my child said, 'I just wanna do my own thing for a bit' 😭😭😭."
7."When my four-and-a-half-year-old called me 'dude' during a conversation. It was so smooth and natural, with no hesitation. OK, you're a person now."
8."My five-year-old has a couple of 'chores' she helps with now. Yesterday, she knew it was time to start the dishwasher, so I said I’d come to get her a dishwasher pod from the locked cabinet, and she was like, 'Don’t worry, mama, I can get it!' and carefully removed the child-safety lock."
9."One week into kindergarten and suddenly everyone is 'bro,' and there's a Post Malone song that he loves."
10."When the toddler hugs disappeared. When they were little they would hug me with their whole body and soul. Now they give the half-hugs."
11."My son physically looks different over the course of just a couple of days. I feel this way every couple of months or so. I went away for three days for a work thing, and when I returned, I was like, 'Woah, what happened?' He's more of a kid now than a baby. And my husband's response was, 'Oh good, I thought I was going crazy because I saw that too.'"
12."My son is almost two. I realized he was turning into a big kid when he didn’t need us to rock him to sleep anymore."
13."Her 'baby' pronunciations are dropping away so fast. I've started taking videos of the adorable ways she says things while they last. For over a year, peanut butter was 'bea bup' and I LOVED it. It's gone now, but at least I have a video."
14."When my daughter turned 18 months and said 'I got it' when I tried helping her put on her socks."
15."'Mommy' turned into 'mom.' It’s very startling. The next one to watch out for is not allowing hugs. I dropped my older two at sleepaway camp, and my oldest allowed 'just a small hug' 😭."
16."I don't know why this hit me so hard, but when they went from kid-sized hangers to adult hangers."
17."For me, it was when my kids started getting dressed independently. I'd say, 'Hey, we’re going to the park,' and then they'd disappear and come back changed into their day clothes."
18."I'm a father to two boys. There have been so many stages, and it seems like you close one door and open a new one almost every week. But the biggest one was when my son told me he didn't want me to read him a bedtime story. It was a bad night for me with a lot of tears (some happy, mostly sad). It was this weird combination of fear and regret, but also acknowledging that my kids were growing up and that I was proud of the people they were becoming. I was thankful for that time together, but I also felt grief that it was ending and that it would be replaced by something else."
What moment or milestone made you feel like your baby was officially a "big kid?" Tell me in the comments or use this anonymous form.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
