She has been looking at the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier since we moved to Chicago last year. "Mom can we pleeeeease go to the Ferrwis Weel?"
With one parent gone for three weeks for work, and the other with a packed schedule here at home, it was time for some quality time, and a promise fulfilled.
But the beginning of a new, probably inevitable, phase was started.
The "I want to be bigger!" phrase has now come out of my daughter's mouth. And my heart hurts.
Here I thought I was giving her a chance to do something that would be both exciting and fun, and what I ended up doing was exposing her to a whole slew of things she has to wait to do.
"Momma I want to do the chair thingy!"
"Sorry Harp. We can do that ride when you get a little bigger."
"I want to be bigger now!"
So we sat and watched all those bigger people ride the ride and listened to them screaming in joy.
For 20 minutes. The people got on. They screamed and twirled. The people got off. Over and over.
"Mommy. I weally want to wide the chair thingy."
"I know sweetie. How old are you?"
"Thwee."
"I think when you turn 7 or 8 it will be safe for you to ride on the chair ride."
"Mommyyyyyyyyy!"
"I hear you Harper. I know that feels like a really long time."
And I know this is only the beginning. This only the first time of many that she will want to do something that is just beyond where she's at. It's only one time of many where she won't be able to see how great being three is because she wants to be four. Or 13. Or 16. Or 18. Or 21.
I hope I can help her love the years she's in as she's in them.
In the meantime, maybe I can find a ball pit she can jump in before she gets too big!
Authored by A Swift Doula