Goodbye Dora, Hello iCarly – Out with the Preschooler in with the Tween

My daughters are 6 and 9. They aren’t babies anymore. They aren’t even preschoolers anymore. They are both school age children.

Can you call the extra pounds baby weight when you haven’t been pregnant in this decade…?

Those baby/toddler years sometimes felt like they’d never end. My girls always needed something – a snack, a nap, chill time, a diaper change, help with the potty, a toy, a song, a hug, a snuggle, a drink. It was constant. No rest for the weary.

But now they are older: more capable. The needed snack can be handled on their own. A drink of water, the same. Hugs and snuggles are still needed but not as frequently.

“I’m fine, Mom, let me handle this.”

This summer, we’ve been cleaning out and aging up. Their school-age, older selves are not interested in the same stuff we’ve had for years in our home. Out went the baby books, the Dora videos, Diego toys, no more Care Bears backpack or Fisher Price Little People.  The 3-wheeled scooter and tiny bike? Out and out. Dress up clothes and accessories? Out.

I tear up and cry a little on the inside for each of these milestones. Dora has been around since the dawn of their toddler-hood. She’s been like a sister to them for goodness sake.

“That’s for little kids, mom. We aren’t little anymore.”

They have also begun re-decorating their rooms. My style is no longer cool. Out are the Little Mermaid posters and baby animal prints. They want to hang posters on their walls and choose the colors. I’m thankful that the likes of Justin Bieber and Big Time Rush have yet to find their way in; so far it’s kitties, Sponge Bob and Domo. I’ll take them and keep the pre-teen posters on the waitlist.

Instead of cute letters that spell out their names, notes like this are hung on their doors –

“Keep out and I mean it.”

How did those never-ending toddler/preschooler years sneak by so fast? Must have been when I was trying to catch a little rest between bath time and snack.

This last week; my girls dealt the final death blow to their little kid lives…they informed me that we no longer need the play house or sand and water table in the backyard. For some reason, those items were the symbols of their time as little ones – imaginative play in the backyard. I’m not ready to say goodbye. I still want to play with them.

I can picture my girls playing peek-a-boo through the windows and creating masterpieces of sand cakes and drinks in the sand table.

It’s all gone. Done. They are big kids now with no need for the little kid stuff.

They still collect Squinkies, Littlest Pet Shop and stuffed animals, but I know it’s only a matter of time before those things also get pushed aside as well.

It’s not all sad, mind you. I love having school age children. For starters, I get a little time to myself. I no longer have to entertain them 24 hours a day. I don’t even have to watch their every move or fear the staircase.

They sleep through the night, clear their dishes from the table (most of the time) and have a few chores to make themselves useful around the house.

We can go to the pool and I don’t have to track a step behind waiting to yank them out of the water when they’ve waded in too far.

We can travel without carrying diapers, car seats and strollers. They can even carry their own luggage. We can even plan an entire day of activities without having to plan around nap time.

We can hike and bike as a family. Watch movies without shushing, sit quietly in a restaurant and share our days and begin to share cultural references and stories.

Maybe now we can visit the science and nature museum and do more than just run around pushing every button in the place to see what sound it makes.

Our backyard is reverting back to an adult space. I can now think of getting a fire pit and nice outdoor couches. Well, maybe I’m getting ahead of myself.

Goodbye sweet, sweet toddler/preschool years. Hello school years. You can just wait right there teen years.

Who’s up for a garage sale?

Susan Wells is a native Colorado mom to two girls, ages 6 and 9. She loves to find the learning in everything. In past lives, Susan has been a symphony bassist, sound engineer, news web producer and web developer. She currently works for Steve Spangler Science in web marketing, social media and blogging and blogs at TwoHandsTwoFeet.com.

Author: Susan Wells