11 new parenting 'lasts' that will make you cry.

For anyone whose little kids are morphing into tweens…

When our babies are little, there are so many lasts that people warn us about. We’re on alert for the last time they pronounce that one word in that sweet, incorrect way. (You know the one.)

The last time they bring their blanket wherever they’re going.

The last time they toddle.

But as my girls get older, I realise that I’m entering a whole new round of lasts. Here are 11 to watch out for in the tween years. You’ve been warned.

2. The last time they sit in your lap, so close you can smell their shampoo.

3. The last time they lay with you at night – quiet, still, whispering.

4. The last time they wear matching pajamas. Sweats and sports shirts are a thing, who knew? (Mums with older kids, that’s who!)

5. The last time they split a meal with their sibling or order from the kids’ menu and have it be enough food to satisfy them.

6. The last time they hold your hand in public.

7. The last time they choose you as their field trip “buddy,” bus seat partner and lunch companion.

8. The last time they use the word “playdate” or “playing.” I guess it becomes “hanging out” or just “having a friend over.”

9. The last time they wear clothes and shoes that are nowhere near your size. (Oh, how it hit me, that first time I had to check the brand to see whose yoga pants I was sorting, and the first time she put on my flip-flops not to be silly, but because they fit.)

10. The last time they look back at you when they score (or fail) during sports. Their "game face" is heart-stopping to see, and to feel.

11. The last time they laugh at your (admittedly, kind of dumb) jokes.

But that'll be us trying to hold onto the sweetness of what we know. Which isn't quite the same thing as it just being the space they're in, is it?

There's something to growing with them, to letting go of what was, in order to let in what is sure to be.

The good news is that just like the first time around when they were so very little, each of these lasts leads to a first.

The last look-back during sports gives you a glimpse of their future drive. The last night of matching pyjamas captures their future style, the one that has nothing to do with you. And the last melting greeting opens the door to your new togetherness - (hopefully) equally easy, but more long-lasting.

So here's what I'm thinking as we head towards school holidays - when the thought of 24-hour parenting can seem overwhelming - just like the first time around, knowing that these second-round lasts are imminent won't change the hard moments in parenting, but it definitely makes savouring the good ones easier.

What second-round lasts would you add to my list?

This post was originally published in full here and is republished with full permission. For more from Galit check out her blog.

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