I blinked. I must have. I didn’t mean to, but surely that’s what happened. Just yesterday my darling daughter was a baby… it was yesterday, right? And now she’s eight (and a half, she would tell me), which may not seem too drastic, but it is to this Mama’s heart. I know she’s growing up. I know she needs to grow up, that it is all part of God’s plan, but does it have to be so soon?

It seems like every day, she needs me a little less. And while I’m happy that she is growing into a smart, independent, capable, young lady, I am also saddened because I know that each step toward independence takes her a step further from me. I look at this beautiful, sweet girl of mine, and I see the child less and less. It’s as if I’m looking at an image that is dancing in shimmering transformation, there, yet not there; the child fading into the future young lady, who elusively, isn’t quite there yet.

She knows I’m a wreck over this experiencing challenges with this, so she tries to help me. She reassures me that her growing up, and learning to do more on her own is all part of God’s plan. She tells me that she still needs me, that she’ll always need me, just in different ways. And then there’s this:

The pinky promise comes straight from the heart and is the most sacred, serious, vow anyone can ever swear to. If broken, the consequences are serious, devastating… life-changing, even. They are not meant to be entered into lightly. THIS is the promise my daughter has made to me… She has made this solemn oath to never leave me, to never move out, and to always need me. She has sworn upon the sanctity of the pinky promise, that when she gets married, her husband and children also have to love, need, obey, and want to live with me.

I must admit, this makes me happy! Perhaps a little too happy. But it gives me comfort when I see yet again, where she doesn’t need me to take care of her. The pinky promise is true, it’s binding. And I choose to trust in it.

So if that doesn’t work out, if she tries to leave me if anything changes, all is not lost. I still have another choice. If the pinky promise doesn’t hold true, I always have the option of… The Tower. The Rapunzel-style tower, that will keep her with me for forever and always. That works too, right?

Yes, I joke.. but I know she is growing, and I believe she will make a great life for herself. And yes, I’ll be proud of her, no matter what. Actually, I already am!