Kids Grow Up Way Too Fast! Celebrating My Last Little Three Year Old Turning Four

My Last Little Three Year Old

I have one hour left of until my last little three year old turns four. Tomorrow – my third child, my Benjamin, will wake up as a four year old.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Last Little Three Year Old

The Transition From Age Three to Age Four

The transition from age three to four struck me hard each time it happened. Since the beginning of the month, it hit me – this is my last little three year old. This is the last time I will watch one of my babies turn four.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Last Little Three Year Old

I started thinking about why the change from three to four is so monumental. Then I realized that SO much happens in those 365 days it is one of the biggest and most life changing times in a child’s life.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Last Little Three Year Old

Everything I Needed to Learn, I Learned as a Toddler

Between the ages of three and four my kids began school, they became potty trained, they learned how to dress themselves and put their shoes on themselves, they learned how to write their names, they learned how to read their names, they learned the alphabet, they learned how to count, they dropped their naps and could stay up without going ballistic, they learned how to feed themselves, they transitioned out of the crib and into a bed, they could finally pump on a swing, they learned how to put on a DVD, and they learned how to use the TV remote. That’s A LOT!

The Mint Chip Mama - My Last Little Three Year Old

In short – they learned how to be self-sufficient, self-entertaining little humans.

The Mint Chip Mama - Nassau County Fire Museum

I know there is a famous line about learning everything one needs to know in kindergarten, but besides driving a car (which he can as long as it’s powered by a 12v battery) he’s got it all down pat – at three feet tall.

The Mint Chip Mama - Adventureland Antique Cars

Even Big Shots Need Their Mommy’s Help

Three is a funny age – it is an age of “I can do it myself” and an age of “please stay with me and hold my hand.” It is an age that begins with changing a little tush multiple times a day to an age where you’re told to leave the bathroom because they need privacy (often as the bathroom door closes in your face).

The Mint Chip Mama - Edaville Thomas

It’s an age where you leave this little person who was attached literally and figuratively at your hip and/or to your breast – moments before – in the care of strangers to “learn” whatever a three-year-old learns in school (and also when they come home with THE BEST art projects).

The Mint Chip Mama - Boston Playground

It’s an age where they want to snuggle and snuggle and snuggle and then tell you while grunting (like you’re an idiot) that they only like to eat cereal on Tuesdays with an attitude so strong you don’t want to point out yesterday was – in fact – Thursday. Or that they ate cereal every day last week.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Last Little Three Year Old

A Four Year Old is a Real Little Person

At this age they can tell delicious elaborate imaginative stories and make up (not at all) funny jokes. They have genuine interest in things and places and can remember stuff you did with them. The relationship evolves from “omg I have to keep this thing alive” to “its fun hanging out with this little person, he likes ducks, I found a cool lake to visit that he will love”.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Last Little Three Year Old

At this age, my son can finally hold his own against his older brother (6!) and sister (10!) and become more of a playmate than a burden – or whatever the nicer word for “little brother” is in this realm.

The Mint Chip Mama - Henry Kaufman Campground

But really – they become a little person. They evolve so much and finish off the year as a little person. When I look at my son, I think of being pregnant. Being pregnant and not at all prepared to welcome another child into my home.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Last Little Three Year Old

Breathe in the Moments

I think of the difficult days of juggling three kids in the beginning and how hard it all was for me. But also I think about how he was such a good baby. My last little three year old was so chill and like a little accessory being carried around wherever I had to go. Furthermore, I think of how special nursing him was each time because I knew he was my last and it could end at any moment. I think of how sneaking away with him in those moments were just ours and stolen fractions of calm in the storm of our lives.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Last Little Three Year Old

I think of the funny little boy who tried desperately to jump for so long until one day he was airborne. Or how proud he was the first time he went to the bathroom himself (and how sometimes I still catch him giving himself a chocolate chip and congratulatory speech).

The Mint Chip Mama - Long Island Children's Museum

I think about how he has the most warm, sweet smile and lights up a room. Also I think about his laugh. Plus how he talks like an 85-year-old man. I love how he mispronounces words and then giggles when we laugh at him.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Little Three Year Old

I think of how he insists on sitting and reading books with his siblings. He loves making up elaborate stories he swears to be reading however they are as far from the text as possible. I think about the hugs he used to give me when I would pick him up from school (remember when kids went to school?) as he had just returned from the war.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Little Three Year Old

I Think Of The Unlimited Hugs

But mostly I think of his unlimited hugs and kisses, how he is the best snuggler around, and how he sometimes puts on a watch for the sole purpose of him being able to tell me when it’s “snuggle time”.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Little Three Year Old

We Were Smart to Have a Third Kid Instead of Getting A Dog

People often debate between having a third child or getting a dog. As I mentioned to someone the other day – my third child sits all snuggled up in my lap while I pet his head, loves taking walks AND is potty trained! I am pretty sure I won that argument.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Little Three Year Old

My Last Little Three Year Old Officially Turned Four

Well, the clock has struck midnight, I now have a four-year-old. Before bed last night, he asked if he would wake up and have really long legs. I cannot wait to find out. Happy 4th birthday, my little Benj.

The Mint Chip Mama - My Little Three Year Old

Published by Stacey Wallenstein

Stacey Gish Wallenstein created The Mint Chip Mama blog in 2013 to share her love and passion for giving children meaningful life experiences and helping moms like her navigate the challenges and benefits of raising children in the New York metropolitan area. Before becoming a full-time mom in 2010, Stacey spent the better part of the preceding decade as a high-end customer relationship management (CRM) professional for some of the most well-known brands in the hotel, luxury, fashion, and beauty industries, such as Harrah’s Entertainment, Chanel and Christian Dior, Inc. She managed customer loyalty programs for thousands of clients around the country and created social media strategies for a span of industries including healthcare services, restaurants, consumer packaged goods, specialty foods, local attractions and retail locations. After 13 wonderful years in Manhattan (the last three of which spent as a city mom), Stacey and her husband moved to Long Island in 2014, where they now reside with their three children (13, 10, and 7). There, she is a founding member of her local Parenting Center, which provides classes and coordinates events designed to educate and inform parents while fostering an environment of support and friendship within the community. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Stacey has been active in the New York area alumni organization for nearly twenty years, serving as a board member on the school’s University of Michigan Alumni Club of New York City. She also holds a Masters in Psychology from The New School in New York City. Please check out The Mint Chip Mama in the Press: The New York Post, Psychology Today, NY Metro Parents, New York Family, Parents Magazine, Newsday, News 12, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt: Kids, NerdWallet, Big Apple Kids Guide, and more! The Mint Chip Mama was also nominated as "The Best Blog On Long Island" for 2022, 2023, 2024, one of the Top 20 New York Mom Blogs & Websites, and one of the Top 100 Mom Lifestyle Blogs on the web! For more updates, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest.

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