Before She Becomes Her

Before she learns to question herself.

Before she wonders if she is too much or not enough.

Before she learns to hide the parts of herself that make her unique.

There is girlhood.

A season filled with wild imagination, messy creativity, and a kind of magic that only exists when the world is still full of possibility.

Girlhood is muddy feet and pockets full of treasures.

It is collecting flowers that will wilt by morning because, in that moment, they are the most beautiful thing she has ever seen.

It is stories created from nothing.

Blankets turned into castles.

Backyards transformed into kingdoms.

A simple stick becoming a wand, a sword, or a key to an imaginary world.

It is curiosity.

It is courage.

It is the fearless belief that she can become anything.

And then, quietly, she begins to change.

Not all at once.

Just little moments.

A new favorite song.

A new way of seeing herself.

A little more independence.

A little less reaching for your hand.

And while we celebrate who she is becoming, we should also remember who she was.

The girl who laughed without worrying how she sounded.

The girl who danced without wondering who was watching.

The girl who loved things simply because they made her happy.

The girl who saw beauty everywhere.

Because one day, she may forget.

She may forget the way sunlight looked through the trees during afternoon adventures.

She may forget the tiny details that made her childhood hers.

But photographs have a way of holding onto what time tries to carry away.

Not perfection.

Not a carefully planned version of childhood.

But her.

Her laughter.

Her imagination.

Her confidence.

Her wonder.

The little moments that quietly shaped the person she would become.

As parents, we often document the big milestones.

The birthdays.

The first days.

The accomplishments.

But there is so much beauty in the in-between.

The moments where she is simply herself.

Still discovering.

Still dreaming.

Still becoming.

Girlhood is not just a season before something else.

It is a chapter worth celebrating all on its own.

Before she becomes her, let her be her.