Somewhere between the 3rd and 4th birthdays of both my girls, something magical happened: When out running errands or such, I could just dangle my hand behind me and a little hand would grab it. Before that magical moment, I would always have to search out the little hand and grab it before crossing a street or stepping away from the the car in a parking lot. I remember a conversation with my cousin where I told her that I always held Abigail's hand and walked her to her preschool teacher instead of pulling up and letting her hop out of the car. My cousin told me to enjoy it because she knew from her own experience with her Kindergarten aged son that my days were numbered. I made a point from then on to cherish every time that Abigail let me hold her hand and I began the habit of telling her, "I love this little hand." I braced myself for the dreaded day that my dangling hand would be met with the inevitable "Mom! I'm too old to hold your hand!" that my cousin warned of. Well, Abigail is 8 1/2 years old and it's been quite a while since it has been necessary to hold her hand before crossing a street, but every once in a while she blesses me by grabbing my hand. When she does, I send up a little prayer of thanks and even though that hand has grown to be not so small, I still squeeze it and tell her, "I love this little hand."
This is sweet and I love the picture. My mom and I still hold hands some times. Until I left for college, she would often grab my hand during church and hold it. :) You are such a great mom!
ReplyDeleteOh sheesh, you are making me tear up! I love holding hands with my girls. There is something about holding your daughter's hand that is different than your son's. I agree, you are a great Mom and I love doing this Mom thing with you!
ReplyDelete