![]() ![]() Let’s back up to look at this phenomenon in a different context. When the phrase “they’re growing up too fast” is said by people who ARE around the child on a more frequent basis, that begs a whole other set of questions. It suggests you haven’t been paying attention. This is a heartbreaking and real facet of this “grow up so fast” discussion that underscores the pain so often behind these words. ![]() (Note: Thank you to the reader who wrote to emphasize that global circumstances can sometimes make it IMPOSSIBLE for people to see loved ones in the way that they yearn to. In the case of my friend, I began sending more frequent photos, arranging Facetime calls. However, that doesn’t mean they’re aging “too fast” - it just means that doing everything we can to spend more time with them, even video calls, makes it less of a shock how they’re changing. Yes, humans grow, develop, and change, and the longer you’re away from another person, the more obvious the changes are. With the new distance, however, there suddenly arose the shock of my son’s physical changes across the months. Back in the days when she lived close by and watched my guy evolve from week to week, there was joy and connection. In that moment, I realized that I deeply missed my friend’s weekly visits since she’d moved away. I got the idea to write this article on the day a dear friend uttered the words, “Your son is growing up too fast!” upon seeing his photo. The most frequent times I hear the phrase, “That kid is growing up too fast!” it is being said by an adult who hasn’t been face to face with this child in months, or even years… and sometimes that can be downright sad. Kids being kids: Growing and exploring! 1. Why? As a parent and teacher, I’d like to explain the reasons that you might want to think twice about saying something like “kids grow up too fast” the next time you encounter a young child gaining on you in height and advancing in years. Me? These utterances punch me in the gut every time. You might have even heard the version (directed at the kiddo), “Stop growing! You’re getting too big!” especially when elementary school aged kids go through growth spurts. Show up for the kids and teenagers in your home and community.Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on Twitter Share on Email Share on WhatsApp Share on LinkedIn A Problematic Phrase with Upsetting ImplicationsĬhances are, you’ve heard an adult exclaim: “Kids grow up so fast!” or, “They’re growing up too fast!” while gazing at a child who suddenly seems much taller than they remembered. We want to help parents and leaders show up in the right way during the formative years, so kids can have a better future.Īs part of the Phase Project we created this video as a reminder to all of us. We are two years into the “Just a Phase” project. Time is the greatest currency we have if we want to influence the future of a child. And the way they experience those changes will affect their futures. ![]() They are changing physically, mentally, culturally, relationally, emotionally and morally as they move from one phase to the next. In fact, kids and teenagers change much faster than we do as adults. But it is changing-especially for kids and teenagers. We can’t see it, and so often the daily activities of today look so similar to yesterday that we don’t feel anything changing. Time moves like an invisible current underneath our everyday experience. They may still be teaching fourth grade, and then feel overwhelming emotion when one of their fourth graders shows back up for a visit during their college fall break. The days when their children were six, four, and six months feel a breath away. It’s the sentiment of grandparents everywhere. They are six, four, and six months and we are a walking reminder to everyone who has ever had kids that time is moving. That’s the number one comment I hear from strangers who see me with my children. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |