“It’s perfect!” my daughter says as she smiles sitting with her elbows on the armrests of her new booster car seat. Just a couple of years ago, we had to replace her first car seat as her legs grew longer, and about a month ago, we found ourselves in the same position again as we struggled to snap the three point harness on Quinn’s car seat. Being in the 95th percentile for her height, my four year old is reaching certain milestones ahead of schedule and refuses to slow down. She was so excited to get her booster seat and asked, “Can I be in charge of unbuckling myself when we get to our destination, Mommy?” I told her, “Sure, you can.”

As much as I love seeing her grow and know it is imminent, there are times when I feel like we’re in the fast lane, and I’m just along for the ride asking her to slow down just a little. I want to enjoy the sights and sounds along the way. I want to take in the scenery and commit it to memory. Yes, at the end of the day, it may just be a booster seat, but it represents change, growth and time, and while I am certainly not the driver at all times, I am grateful to be a passenger in the vehicle of my daughter’s life.

All the best,

Tanya