Growing Up

As I left UVU on Thursday evening, I watched a young man sitting in a commons area with his adorable baby daughter.  He had a blanket spread out on the floor and was sitting directly behind his daughter and he was attempting to get her to sit up--a feat that she was just barely too young to accomplish.  As I walked towards them, I watched him sit her up, and she'd balance for a second and start to fall over.  He'd catch her and repeat the process.

And then I had a "Jenny In the Glass" moment.  It's an old LDS "Homefront" commercial that they used to show on television, where a young father is viewing his newborn daughter through the glass in the nursery at the hospital and he sees her growing up before his eyes.

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was balancing my oldest son, trying to help him reach that next milestone, and now I feel like I'm digging in my heels, trying to hold back the inevitable.  He's fifteen years old and driving and before I know it, he'll be out on his own and I'll be wishing he were still around because I'll miss him.

His younger brother isn't far behind him.

I wanted to tell this young father to just let her lie there or roll over and do what she was already doing.  I wanted to tell him that he needs to enjoy every stage for what it is and not to rush things.

But he probably wouldn't have listened anyway.  He wouldn't understand any better than I would have at that stage in my life.