4 Going on 5

I get the excitement and anxiousness of turning the milestone ages of 16, 18 and 21 but 5? Seena pulled my heartstrings last night when she asked if we could just says she's 5 since her birthday is so close? Noooooo....Why the rush? I think 5 is a bittersweet milestone for parents more so than the kids themselves. 5 is when they leave daycare and enter the real school system..sniffle, sniffle. It means your little one is really growing up...sniffle, sniffle. I think she knows 5 is a "grown up" age because she has been putting stuff off until she turns 5. I tried to put her in dance class when she turned 3 and it was horrible. She cried the whole time and we eventually had to take her out of the program. After some time she finally agreed to try it again but only when she turned 5. And that's been with a lot of stuff. Just this morning she asked if we could go to the pet store to buy a cat. The conversation went:

Me: Oh, no honey, we're not going to get a cat.
Seena: Never?
Me: No, I'm not going to say never, just not now.
Seena: So, tomorrow then?
Me: No, sweetie, now is just not the right time.
Seena: ok, so when I'm 5, right?

I don't know how she knows 5 is a "big" age but I don't want it to be. Even my mom was in shock last night when I invited her to Seena's graduation next week. She couldn't believe Seena was going to kindergarten. She actually disputed it with me. I assured her that she was turning 5 in July and would be going in the Fall.

Nana - "but she's so tiny (meaning thin not height-wise), she's too small to go to kindergarten!". Me - "I know, mom, I know"

Well, sorry Seena, I've decided you're staying 4 as long as physically possible. Please don't be sad. You'll be turning 5 and then 18 soon enough. Let me just have these few more weeks of you being "little"....sniffle, sniffle.