My little girl is rushing toward double-digits. In less than 5 months we will celebrate her 8th birthday. As I write the word 8, a rush of emotions hit my gut. As the cliché often goes, how did this time move so fast? Sometimes she reminds me so much of young adult, but other times I am grateful at her innocence and the sheer abundance of not knowing too much about life or the world. There are still glimpses of innocence that capture and allow my heart to pause.
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The picture above captures her friendship with her little doll named Ruthie. She cares for Ruthie with a gentle touch that is sweet and endearing. In the morning, she feeds Ruthie breakfast, dresses her for school, and combs her hair. At night, she ensures that her little doll is propped on a pillow and tucks her in tight. She encourages Ruthie to say her prayers much like I remind my daughter every night before she goes to sleep. I am not certain how much longer this relationship between my daughter and Ruthie will last, but I certainly witnessing this innocence that only a child is able to fully appreciate.
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On the way home from school, my daughter and I often have little mini-conversations about minutiae. I ask her about what she learned at school and whether her day went well. She will tell me about a book they read or how she played kickball or climbed the monkey bars. Sometimes she asks questions about subjects that I am not anticipating.This week she probed the word adopt.
“Momma, I have a question for you.”
“Yes, what is your question?”
“Am I adopted? I think I am adopted because I do not remember being born.”
“Honey, momma had you in her belly. I promise that you came from me.”
“Ok, Momma. Sorry for asking the question. I just couldn’t remember being born.”
I later relayed this conversation to my husband and we both laughed and admired her innocence. She is learning about new concepts and trying to make some sense of them in her world. The authenticity of her question and her desire for confirmation made me pause. There is still that veil of innocence that gardens in her world.
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This week I learned that my daughter’s favorite cupcake shop called Sweet Tooth Fairy is moving to another location that is almost 40 minutes away from us. I broke the news to her. The disappointment registered on her face.
“What do you mean they are moving, Momma?”
“They are moving to a different city.”
“But Momma, I thought the Tooth Fairy ran the shop. Can’t she run both shops at the same time?”
This question took me off guard because it confirmed that she still hold on to that magical and mystical place of wonder where Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and Leprechauns inhabit a real place in her life. This glimpse made me smile and think about all these slices of innocence that still speckle her thinking.
This innocence will be lost. I know this, but she doesn’t.
Right now, I sink into these little glimpses of innocence.
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
OMGosh! The adoption story…so sweet and yes INNOCENT. I would’ve just grabbed her up and squeezed! My Girlies also love their dollies but they seem to rotate which ones are their favorites on a weekly basis… 🙂
Welcome Tiffany!
I find the doll play so endearing and innocent. I like how my daughter fawns over her doll and treats her like she is alive. Those are the moments that we witness as moms and we fall in love with our children once again.
Thanks for visiting! I appreciate the comment.
Such precious stories. To see things through the eyes and mind of an innocent child brings such a different perspective. It makes us realize how many things we take for granted!
Welcome Mo!
Children have such a fresh approach on how they live. It certainly reminds me to slow down and start noticing ordinary pleasures.
Thanks for visiting!
This is such a sweet post! You’ve captured your daughter’s growing awareness and wisdom along with her innocence so beautifully. I think it’s the hallmark of this age – they have one foot in early childhood and the other in the middle grade years and it is such a joy to watch. Sigh. The time does go so quickly and I am very attuned to the subtle shifts. I can’t put my finger on it but just literally yesterday I noticed something different about my son, who just turned 9.5. The obvious big change over the last few months is that he now refuses to have his hand held in public. The only reason I am not bawling is that he will still climb onto my lap when no one is looking 😉 But the subtle change is the additional loss of innocence – there are certain mannerisms or gestures or small actions that I just realized are no longer there, even though I can’t even describe or identify what they are. I just know that he is no longer something that he still was half a year ago.
Enjoy this time, as I know you are.
What a beautiful post. I love the little moments you describe with your daughter, her cute innocent view of the world, and most of all I love that photo. It reminded me so much of two of my children, who are 4 and 3, and who both have their own favourite dolls that sleep beside them. Just tonight I noticed that my son (3) had placed all kinds of objects around his blue bunny, the doll that he sleeps with, and he tucked the bunny in at bedtime and covered him with a little blue blanket. I was really touched and proud of him that he was showing so much affection in this way, almost like a little parent. Thanks for posting that photo!
Love this. She is so precious!