These are the in-between years. The years where one fluctuates wildly between pursuing maturity and wanting to remain little forever. While everyone reaches for the babies and the lisping preschoolers, the ‘tweens remain in their own awkward location, caught between wanting to grow and not wanting to at the same time.

This image will forever remind me of the wisdom of my husband in the pew tonight as he encouraged me to enjoy the moments of “not wanting to grow” a little longer. A split second after his verbal nudge our tween turned and rested her head against me, a solid reminder that he was right—she was still little and it was okay for her to find comfort in stuffed animals and mom’s warm body. He muttered something like, “I am a half-genius after all,” which is a family joke of ours, and my mind and body relaxed and enjoyed my ten year old girl and her armful of babies.