Clinging to Childhood

This week I got a great new prop for shoots with little girls. It's a precious little bistro table and chairs with pink striped and floral cushions. (I just love watching little girls playing tea party.) When the shipment came, I took out the screw driver and set to work assembling it so it would be put together when my daughter came home from school. But when I was done, I realized that this sweet little table was probably too small for my little (or not so little anymore) princess. And it made me sad. And when she came home from school that day and saw the table and realized how small it was, I think it made her a little sad too.

Some of my daughter's schoolmates seem to be growing up so fast and I can see her struggling sometimes with wanting to be more grown-up like some of them and wanting to just be a kid. Luckily, the desire to be a kid is winning out right now, but I know that won't last forever. Because it seems just yesterday that I could sling that little thing up on to my hip to nestle her in for hugs. If I tried that now, I would break a hip!

Today, after school let out, my daughter snuggled into my arms for a hug and said, "Mommy, I always want to be your little girl." She hugged me so tightly and held on for so long. It was as if she were trying to cling to childhood. It was one of those moments when everything else becomes so unimportant and you have to stop and catch your breath and be so grateful for today.

And so we took that little table and chairs, and a little tin tea set, and Mr. Bear and we went out to an over-grown field and had a little tea party. And she poured the bear some "tea" and danced with him and hugged him as fiercely as she had hugged me. And I felt so happy to be capturing this moment and thought how fleeting this time would be. And I was, and am, so grateful for today.