If I Could Keep You Little by Marianne Richmond

If I Could Keep You Little..., by Marianne Richmond

This sweet, inspiring book will speak straight to a parent's heart, exploring the powerful feeling that every parent has: the push/pull feeling of wanting your child to grow and savoring and holding on to every moment.

If I Could Keep You Little takes the reader on a journey of memory and expectation, exploring real insights into the human spirit. Marianne's artwork beautifully illustrates these complex emotions and her insightful prose showcases the fleeting little moments that reveal how a child changes and grows.

 "If I could keep you little,
I'd decide on matching clothes.
But then I'd miss you choosing
Dots on top and stripes below

If I could keep you little
I'd cut your bread in shapes.
But then I'd miss you finding
"Hey! I like ketchup with my grapes!"

What I Can Tell You: 

Awwww......This is really the sweetest book. It says everything I try to remind myself about as my kids change over the day to day. Like when I ask my daughter to stop growing because I won't be able to pick her up anymore. Or when I get teary eyed over the fact that they are growing out of their clothes so fast. Or, when they don't ask me to read to them as much any more, or need me to get their snacks and drinks.

I was thankfully very aware of how quick their babyhood would be and that is what got me through the almost 3.5 years of less than 5 hours of sleep. I knew they would never need me as much as they did then. 

What Marianne puts so lovingly into words is that while we will miss the times we had to do everything for them, we are so proud when we see them accomplish things on their own. When they make their own choices and decisions, it shows us their independence and sometimes that scares us or makes us sad. But, what we should be looking at is how much WE have taught them. How safe they feel to make these decisions or how confident they are in knowing exactly what they want. That comes from feeling protected and knowing that even if they make mistakes, Mommy and Daddy will be there to pick them up if they should fall. 

The back of the book reads:

"If I could keep you little, I'd keep you close to me. 

But then I'd miss you growing into who you're meant to be!"

When I had my 2010 Holiday Home Party last week with my girlfriends, I showed them all the book, they all loved it and everyone had a boo-boo face when they read the words above. 

Truly a beautiful book to be shared by a child and the people who love them!

You can find this book on my 2010 Holiday Gift Guide.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary book from Sourcebooks for my honest opinion.