Growing up too fast

What do the Summer holidays conjure up for you?

For me, it is the sound of lawnmowers, jumping through the sprinkler in the garden, days spent outdoors, having picnics, building dens, riding bikes, chasing butterflies and when there is nothing better to do, lying on your back watching the clouds.

I tried this with my daughter today. I told her that if you look up at the clouds, sometimes they will make a shape like an animal. "Look, there's a whale, and over there, a duck", I say.
"Yes. Duck", my son agrees.
"Don't be silly Mummy. It is just a cloud", my five going on thirty-five daughter replies. What happened to just being silly for the sake of being silly?

This isn't the first time my daughter sounds too mature for her tender years. When I was heavily pregnant and in pain, she would rub my back and tell me everything was going to be alright. If I'm over-tired and grumpy, she tells me I've got out of bed the wrong side today and I should have an early night. If I'm feeling sad, she tells me that I have a lot to be grateful for so I should be happy. If she's been watching television with her brother, she'll turn it off and tell him that they've watched enough today.

I still think of my two year old as my baby. He's the smallest in our family after all. But there is nothing like visiting a new baby to shock you back to reality. Compared to the newborn, my son was HUGE. I may not want to face up to it, but I am definitely out of that baby period. My two are growing up fast and there is nothing I can do about it, except sit back and enjoy.