Curse you Darius

That's right. Curse you Darius Rucker for making a song about little girls growing up. Of course, I don't know if you were the one that made sure it played on the radio right when I was thinking about how fast my daughters are growing up. My oldest daughter just turned 9. It's her last year in single digits. And my youngest is not a baby anymore (no matter how hard anyone fights it) - she'll be 6 in August. I'm sure all of you parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. can imagine sitting there looking at a child and seeing them as they are now but also seeing them as they were years ago. It's like having a 2-year-old sitting there at the same time as your 9-year-old. You want sweet potatoes smeared all over her face and fingerpaint on her little smock and crayon on the wall. When you have a baby, people tell you that your life will change forever. They tell you it "goes so fast." And you just smile and nod your head like you know what they mean. But you don't know what they mean. You don't know it until you lay awake for hours just making sure your baby is breathing. Until your heart breaks as they walk into nursery school. Until you feel the tremendous fear of an emergency room visit. Or until you secretly follow the school bus to make sure they get there okay. I can't imagine how I will be when one of my girls goes on her first date or to the prom or gets her driver's license. Stop, don't even think it - I know you're saying, "Sure Liz, that's cake compared to when they get married." But, I know my job as a parent. God wants us to raise our children to be good adults to live for him. It's my job to give them the tools to leave me. So, I really need to cherish them while they're here. Like Darius says, it won't be like this for long.

He didn't have to wake up He'd been up all night Layin’ there in bed listenin’ To his new born baby cry He makes a pot of coffee He splashes water on his face His wife gives him a kiss and says It gonna be OK It won’t be like this for long One day we'll look back laughin’ At the week we brought her home This phase is gonna fly by So baby just hold on ‘Cause it won't be like this for long Four years later ‘bout 4:30 She's crawling in their bed And when he drops her off at preschool She's clinging to his leg The teacher peels her off of him He says what can I do She says now don't you worry This’ll only last a week or two It won’t be like this for long One day soon you'll drop her off And she won’t even know you're gone This phase is gonna fly by If you can just hold on It won’t be like this for long Some day soon she'll be a teenager And at times he'll think she hates him Then he'll walk her down the aisle And he'll raise her veil But right now she's up and cryin’ And the truth is that he don't mind As he kisses her good night And she says her prayers He lays down there beside her ‘Til her eyes are finally closed And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart Cause he already knows It won’t be like this for long One day soon that little girl is gonna be All grown up and gone Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by So, he's tryin’ to hold on ‘Cause it won’t be like this for long It won’t be like this for long It won’t be like this for long