“When the toddler hugs disappeared.

When they were little they would hug me with their whole body and soul.

Now they give the half-hugs.”

A young child with short hair sits at a table, eating food from a gray plate using a fork. A cup is placed in front of them

It didn’t seem right that she could be growing up so fast.

Redditoru/megi9999asked, “When did you realize your ‘little one’ wasturning into a ‘big kid?'”

Here’s what people said.

A young girl inspects a bandage on her arm while standing outside in a park

It was pretty neat.

I thought,wow, he’s a real person."

But recently, the kicker is that he made the switch from calling me ‘mama’ to ‘mom!’

A young child with curly hair plays on the floor with a toy fire truck in a sunlit room

When they say it goes by fast, they aren’t kidding!"

u/megi9999

3.

“When my five-year-old son stopped being interested in monster trucks/toy cars.

A parent in the pool with a toddler

Now he is obsessed with sports, which I absolutely love.

“When picking her up went from a bicep curl to a squat.”

u/SmellMyJeans

6.

A child loads dishes into a dishwasher, supervised by an adult wearing a dress

“When my four-and-a-half-year-old called me ‘dude’ during a conversation.

It was so smooth and natural, with no hesitation.

OK, you’re a person now.”

An adult wearing a hat holds a small, tired-looking child close, gently resting their hand on the child's head outdoors

u/stevinbradenton

8.

“My five-year-old has a couple of ‘chores’ she helps with now.

and carefully removed the child-safety lock.”

A young child sleeps peacefully on a pillow, lying on their side with curly hair cascading around their face

“When the toddler hugs disappeared.

When they were little they would hug me with their whole body and soul.

Now they give the half-hugs.”

Young child with pigtails, seated on a stool, putting on white socks in a tidy room with a modern aesthetic

“My son physically looks different over the course of just a couple of days.

I feel this way every couple of months or so.

He’s more of a kid now than a baby.

A toddler dressed in a diaper and tank top reaches for clothes on a high shelf in a closet filled with various clothing and shoes

u/sassperillashana

12.

“My son is almost two.

“Her ‘baby’ pronunciations are dropping away so fast.

A young boy, lying in bed and smiling while looking at an adult who is holding a book with an illustration of a red-haired character on the cover

I’ve started taking videos of the adorable ways she says things while they last.

For over a year, peanut butter was ‘bea bup’ and I LOVED it.

It’s gone now, but at least I have a video.”

u/is-your-oven-on

14.

“‘Mommy’ turned into ‘mom.’

The next one to watch out for is not allowing hugs.

I dropped my older two at sleepaway camp, and my oldest allowed ‘just a small hug’ .”

u/BriefShiningMoment

16.

“For me, it was when my kids started getting dressed independently.

u/WastingAnotherHour

18.

“I’m a father to two boys.

It was a bad night for me with a lot of tears (some happy, mostly sad).

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.