Is My Daughter Growing up Too Fast... I Don't Think So!

 I was watching Barney & Friends one day with Aanya and heard this 'Growing' song...

Growing, we do it everyday

We're growing when we're sleeping

And even when we play

'Cause I am growing and so are you.

And it made me smile. Aanya, my daughter, is growing up at a rate of exactly one second per second and that's the perfect speed. I don't want her to be a little girl forever. I want her to grow into a tall and loving girl, the person she carves herself into, at the rate she chooses to grow.

Its true, I love watching her excitement when she climbs up the climbing wall or builds up a pricess castle from the lego blocks or swings on her own. But I can't wait to see her study hard and learn something that I don't understand. I want her to work hard, really hard, failing at times and know the deep pleasure that accompanies success after disappointment.

Her sweet voice, at present, full of goofy stories, questions and more questions are music to my ears. But I can't wait for her to tell me what she's thinking, what she wants to be, who she wants to be.
Parents constantly lament the supersonic speed at which time passes and wish to freeze the time. I certainly don't want that, because each day reveals another nugget of awesomeness and shows how truly lucky I am to be on this journey.

I want my daughter to have everything life has in store for her. Glory, grief, injury. I want her to laugh out loud, cry her throat raw. I want her to make best friends, make wrong decisions. I want her to run fast, bruise her knees, be good to everyone, be strong, be grateful. I want her to know life at times is unfair and unforgiving but it is full of hope.

I want all these things for her and much more, because I love her and this is what mothers do :)

I don't want to keep her small because the more time passes, the more spectacular she gets. Everyday brings something new and incredible and I can relate to them more. Its more fun, more interesting, more challenging. And watching her get bigger with the clock ticking seconds away, I know they are moving towards amazing things for her.