This weekend toddler P has started calling me Mum, not Mummy, Mama or any other baby lingo term for mother. But mum. I’m not ready for it and I keep correcting her. I thought the mummy stage lasted longer, it’s still cute the way she says it but I’m just not ready for her to be so grown up. I’m not ready to be her mum and want to be mummy for a bit longer.

Then I realised, it’s all running past me in the blink of an eye. She’s my little friend and is becoming more and more of a little independent person every day. She’s my sidekick, she chats to me in the car now, tells me what she can see out of the window. She sings along to the radio and tells me “ooh I like dat ong” she’s drives me mad with excuses for not going to bed (but secretly deep down I enjoy the “wan a suggle” cries for attention). She’s becoming more of a small person that asks me to join in with her more openly than the tugs at clothes and pull of a hand towards a toy. She asks me “do dig-saw wiv me mummy” she passes me a toy with a “ere yoo gow” and screams when I swing on the swings or ride down the slide with her.

Anyway, I digress, the point I’m making is that, she may no longer call me mummy. But she does so many other things that replace that little loss. I realised this morning after serving her breakfast and whilst stirring my cup of tea her little marmite covered hand reached out, pointed to the chair next to her and said, “sit here wiv me mum” then later, mid mouth full of melon said, “yoo a my est fend mum” and although neither were finished with mummy, they melted me into that pool of mummy love. And boy did I need it after the several weeks of sleepless nights!!!!

I’m may not be mummy anymore, but I’m enjoying the mum, best friend, suggle stage.