Change of Identification

Something big happened this week. Levi changed on us and even though we knew the change was coming, it still feels very odd. He's an army kid, so change is an inevitable part of his life. His friends move, his dad travels a lot, he's had more address than Ross and I each had our entire pre-married lives, but this change is different. This change means that to most he is no longer a four year old little boy.

He is now a preschooler.

Why is it that once a child is in school, we identify them by their class grade instead of their age? Up until they begin school, children are identified by their life age. It starts at birth when we classify them overly specifically like, "Little Boy is 13 months 3 weeks and 5 days old!" But once "Little Boy" begins attending school it changes into, "Little Boy is a kindergartener!" And we continue to do this until people are finished with school no matter the level of education.

When I gave birth to Levi, I did not begin counting down the days until he started school. I did the annoying parent thing of overly specifically aging him. But yesterday morning, my four year old instantly changed into a preschooler.

I handled it like a champ and not that poor kid who won a gold medal in the swimming relay the other night and cried uncontrollably during the medal ceremony. No, I kept my composure even when my no longer four year old looked at me and said, "I don't need to hold your hand." It stung, but it didn't bother me as much as his new identification is.

I tore my body apart bringing that boy into the outside world four years ago. I watched as he began walking as an 11 month old. I watched as he got to know his dad again at a year and a half old. I watched as we moved and he adjusted to all things new again at nearly two years old. I watched him meet the baby that made him a big brother when he was two and half years old. And then yesterday morning I watched him morph from my four year old, into my preschooler.

It's wild how fast time passes and the changes that happen throughout that time. I know things are going to continue to change and toss my feels left and right. "It's just part of life.", as my four year old says.