Almost from the day they were born I’ve been begging my kids to stop growing so fast. And although they’re good kids, and I’m proud of each of them, none of them have listened to me and slowed their growth.Every single year they’ve grown a year older, a few inches taller, a bit more independent, and more than just a bit wiser. And while I enjoy watching them grow and mature, I wish it didn’t seem to happen so damn fast.I think I’m as sensitive to this as any parent. I always think about how they change as they grow older, and how this moment is only going to be here once. I’m nostalgic for things related to my kids as they’re happening.My daughter’s seventh birthday party wasn’t even over before I started reminiscing about how sweet my daughter’s seventh birthday party was.The latest development in my daughter’s growth has left me troubled. I noticed it a few months back, in its initial stages, but in the past couple of days it’s reaching all out crisis mode.One of her two front teeth is loose. (I wish I knew a formal way of writing the word No with thirty-seven o’s at the end, spoken as a howl.)Losing front teeth is a sure sign that the ultra-early childhood years are concluding. It’s early elementary school, and she’s still closer to toddler age than middle school age, but this loose front tooth is a sure indicator of the direction in which things are headed.I can’t think of any single natural event that changes little kids more than losing those front teeth. They’re so tiny. My daughter’s so damn cute I can’t stand it, and those little teeth just remind me that she’s always been so small, and so sweet. She takes little tiny bites, and can’t eat very much, and has a smile that melts my heart.None of that will change when she loses her teeth, but once they’re gone, they’re gone. Her smile will still melt my heart, but it won’t have those tiny little teeth anymore.There won’t be any teeth there for some time, and that will add its own level of adorableness. But after that it’s just adult teeth.So my solution to this dental development is to bribe my daughter to postpone losing those teeth as long as possible. When I first felt her loose tooth a few months ago I told her not to wiggle it, and if it were still in place by Christmas, I’d give her a gift. I knew that I had to do something to counteract whatever that devilish Tooth Fairy would do. She grows up fast enough. I don’t need her rushing the process just to score a few bucks and a candy bar.That plan seemed to work well-enough. I didn’t see her wiggle the tooth, and despite the excitement that every kid feels when they have a loose tooth, she seemed to have forgotten about it.But recently she rediscovered the loose tooth, and I’m afraid I can’t stop her. I tried to offer her some alternative to get her to stop wiggling it until Christmas, but she’s having none of it. And the tooth is getting looser by the day. It bled as she brushed her teeth tonight, and I suspect she’ll have a big gap there by this time next week.I know I should be happy, and I am. Or part of me is. But that cute little smile that I’ve loved for so many years is about to change, and it’ll never be the same again. And it’s just a reminder that the cute little girl behind the smile is changing everyday as well.And when I think about that, it doesn’t seem so ridiculous to be nostalgic for things as they are happening.But this is what we sign up for as parents. Our kids are born, and then they set out on the long, arduous, lovely journey of leaving us, becoming their own person, and maybe having kids of their own.I don’t want to stop any of that. It’s the way things are supposed to happen, and I love every minute of it.But if we can just keep those baby teeth until Christmas…Wasn't that well-written and fun to read? You should subscribe to my blog and we'll send you an e-mail every time I write a new one. Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.
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