While I was organizing my daughter’s bedroom this weekend, it hit me: we’ve entered the in-between years. 

We’re in between handmade, little kid, beaded jewelry and grown-up real necklaces that need a place. 

We’re in between dolls and LEGOs and in between little kid craft supplies and big kid notebooks and pens. 

We’re in between little kid play and big kid play.

In between little kid toys and bigger kid trinkets and decorations. In between little kid emotions and big kid understandings. 

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And ya know what? We’ll be here a while. 

And that’s okay. 

In this in-between stage, I get to watch her explore. Which passions will she hold on to? Which things will she try out and choose to grow in?

In this in-between stage, I get a shopping buddy who can enjoy just browsing with me, and her sister still gets a playmate.

In this in-between stage, I get to guide her interests and help her distinguish between situations that call for her to be big and when it’s okay to just play and be crazy.

Oh, sometimes this in-between stage is hard.

She feels aaalll the things and somehow I’m supposed to get her through them. Sometimes I find myself wishing she’d just act big, and sometimes I’m sure my actions show her as much. But most of the time? Most of the time I find myself wishing it would all slow down and let her stay little a bit longer. 

Because she is my big one. But she’s also still my little one. 

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So I’ll make a place for her favorite dolls next to her desk and drawing pads. I’ll hang the necklaces next to the beaded jewelry. And, I’ll say a prayer that I can help us both navigate this in-between stage in a way that doesn’t rush it, but rather, let’s us savor it. 

I don’t want to rush the growing up. It’s okay for her to be a little bit big and still a little bit little for at least a little bit longer.