23 Growing Up Fast Quotes That Will Teach You to Enjoy Every Moment of Your Child’s Life

“Enjoy it while you can — they grow up so fast!” I cannot tell you how many times I have heard those words since I had my first child. And I truly believed that they were true… Except that I thought I’d first get a good night’s sleep and then focus on fully cherishing my little bundle of joy.

But, as I quickly learned, a good night’s sleep was a thing of the past. In its place came the endless night feedings and incredible exhaustion.

Before I knew it, my “newborn” had turned one, and it was then that I fully realized the meaning of the words above. So here I am, saying them to you, reminding you to treasure all the snuggles and the milestones you get to share with your little one.

And in case you need some more persuasion, here are some of the most profound growing up fast quotes. So grab a tissue, as they are bound to make you both laugh and cry.

The Most Heartfelt Growing Up Fast Quotes

Growing Up Fast Quotes That Will Make You Laugh

#1. “Dear Mom, you get mad at me for not acting my age, and then start crying because I’m ‘growing up too fast.’ Sincerely, pick one!” — unknown author

#2. “Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.” — Phyllis Diller

#3. “Growing up is such a barbarous business, full of inconvenience and pimples.” — James Matthew Barrie

#4. “You know children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers.” — John J. Plomp

#5. “Old enough to see that it’s wrong, young enough to do it anyway!” — Abhishek Tiwari

#6. “‘I don’t want to be a man,’ said Jace. ‘I want to be an angst-ridden teenager who can’t confront his own inner demons and takes it out verbally on other people instead.’ ‘Well,’ said Luke, ‘you’re doing a fantastic job.’” ― Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes

Growing Up Fast Quotes That All Parents Will Be Able to Relate To

#7. “Our children are only ever lent to us. We never know just how long we will be able to keep them for. So kiss them, cuddle them, praise them, and hold them tightly. But most of all, tell them you love them every day.” — Carly Marie

#8. “I would have given anything to keep her little. They outgrow us so much faster than we outgrow them.” ― Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper

#9. “Sometimes, you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” — Dr. Seuss

#10. “Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day, you’re in diapers; the next day, you’re gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul.” — Kevin (character), The Wonder Years

#11. “Mom puts her hand on Elsa’s hand and inhales deeply from the point where they are touching as if trying to fill her lungs with Elsa. As mums do with daughters who grow up too fast.” — Fredrik Backman

#12. “I walked over to the hill where we used to go and sled. There were a lot of little kids there. I watched them flying. Doing jumps and having races. And I thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn’t.” ― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Growing Up Fast Quotes That Are Real Eye-Openers for Parents

#13. “We want to gently remind people that we don’t have forever. In my work, I hear parents complain all the time that their children grow up so fast. But they don’t take the time to sit down and talk to each other. The last bastion of getting together is around the table.” — Leo Buscaglia

#14. “We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.” — Stacia Tauscher

#15. “Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them. They move on. They move away. The moments that used to define them — a mother’s approval, a father’s nod — are covered by moments of their own accomplishments. It is not until much later, as the skin sags and the heart weakens, that children understand; their stories and all their accomplishments sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones, beneath the waters of their lives.” — Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

#16. “When we are children, we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.” — Patrick Rothfuss

#17. “The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.” — Alden Nowlan

Parents on Children Growing Up Fast

#18. “I wish I could freeze time or go back in time and watch my kids grow up all over again because it is just going by too fast.” — Robert Rodriguez

#19. “Someday, you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” — C.S. Lewis

#20. “The great paradox of parenting is that it moves in both slow motion and fast speed.” — unknown author

#21. “Katie is like my calendar, watching her grow and change. She is growing up so fast, learning to have opinions of her own, learning that I don’t have the answers to everything. And the moment a child begins to understand that, you know you’re in trouble.” — Cecelia Ahern

#22. “I think she is growing up, and so begins to dream dreams, and have hopes and fears and fidgets, without knowing why or being able to explain them.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

#23. “You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they’re going.” — P.J. O’Rourke

Final Thoughts

When we have kids, we wrongly assume that they will stay young and adorable forever. We let ourselves be carried away with our jobs and daily tasks that we forget that them growing up is part of the package.

Therefore, it serves us well to read some growing up fast quotes every once in a while. Doing so helps us be reminded of the fleeting nature of life and encourages us to focus on our children and soak in all the precious moments that we spend together and etch them deep into our hearts.