it is amazing (and honestly also very frightening) to me how quickly children mimic others. i've always chuckled inside over the years at children repeating things i say frequently and copying the simple things i do as a caregiver every day. my son makes me spend a few moments putting extra thought into everything i do by copying my actions, especially those involved in our every day routines. he'll tell me to lay down and "nigh-night" while he sits besides the bed and reads me a story. i hadn't given a second thought to the amount of closeness he felt while i sat beside his bed and read to him. that day i did. The next day i read him a story snuggled in his bed with him. these moments won't last forever but i want the feelings he gets from them to be ever lasting.
i've always worked with children five and under and I think that because of that, i forget that children grow up and on some level (although thankfully not all levels) stop needing you. i have a live in reminder of that right now. my soon to be ten year old brother is living with us for the summer and i am reminded of how quickly children grow up when he says goodnight, walks away and shuts the door behind him .. when he takes off down the street on his bike .. and when he says, "yeah duh!" when i ask him a question i should apparently already know the answer to.
it's a different world beyond five.
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