I’m going to preface this by saying that every age seems to be the best age – especially with your first child. Every time my oldest has a birthday, I quietly wish that time would stop. I don’t want her to get any older, this year was the best age ever – I think to myself. And every year, it seems to only get better.
Yes, the level of sass seems to grow faster than her feet. But with the added sass comes so many other wonderful qualities in my daughter. Here are 9 reasons why I think this new age – the age of 9 – is going the best age (yet):
1) Goodbye booster seat! One less piece of equipment taking up space in my car. No more worrying about carrying along a booster when taking cabs or planes or riding with friends. One down, two to go!
2) Still mom’s biggest fan. She may be too cool to kiss me goodbye at school, but she still looks up to me and values my opinion. She loves spending mother-daughter time together and openly looks up to me. I’m going to soak it up while I can cause I know this one will fade as she becomes a preteen.
3) She’s developing her own personality. She’s funny, creative and kind. She’s at an age where she does what she wants – and thankfully (so far), she makes the right decisions.
4) We can hang out. Like, for real. We can go out for lunch, go for pedis, or enjoy a day of shopping, and I don’t have to worry about bringing a diaper bag full of tricks, interfering with nap times or competing with friends. She loves hanging out with me, and I cherish every moment we spend together.
5) She listens (well, most of the time). When I give her advice, she listens. She trusts my instincts, opinions and experiences, and values my input.
6) She tells me her secrets. It does take a little prying sometimes, but I’m doing my best to establish a trusting relationship with my daughter. It can sometimes take a lot of work, but I know establishing trust is vital as she approaches her teen years.
7) She’s becoming her own individual person. When they’re younger we decide how they dress. We often create miniature versions of ourselves, dressing them up in clothes we love. But now that she’s older with her own personality, she’s developing her own style (with my gentle guidance of course).
8) She has her own interests. Until now, I’ve taken the lead on the selection of her extracurricular activities (with her input on new things she’d like to try). This year, I’m shifting gears. I think she’s now tried enough of a variety of activities so I’m letting her take the lead in making the picks for next year.
9) She still believes. While she’s proven to be her own person, she still maintains that childhood innocence – and this may be the last year. She still believes in the tooth fairy and Santa, but she asks a lot of questions. I fear for the moment that she realizes the truth, and savour the moments of magic while they’re still here.
