My 5-year-old uttered words I was not prepared for the other day. He said, “Mommy, I’m too old for that.”

He broke my heart.

We were ready for a little downtime. My youngest was napping. We had been out all morning running errands and playing at the park. I was exhausted, and since my oldest has long since given up his naps, it was movie time.

I grabbed the case containing all our movies, and suggested we watch "Cars"—it’s one of his favorites.

In fact, just three months ago, we searched all over Disney World so he could have his picture taken with the real Lightning McQueen car. 

So, imagine my surprise when he said, “Mommy, I’m too old for that.”

Apparently, our days of watching "Caillou" and playing with Fisher-Price are over. We swiftly moved from Matchbox cars and Diego to Beyblade's and Skylander’s. Yes, the Schantz household has evolved to all the latest fads that the older neighborhood boys are fascinated with.

As a rational person, I know my boys are growing up. When people said, time flies or kids grow up too fast, I didn’t believe them.

But, it is happening.

In just the blink of the eye, I have a boy who is registered for Kindergarten and is asking for a skateboard. He wants to know more about girls in the neighborhood and when he can watch PG-13 movies. I am not ready for this.

I also have a toddler who couldn't care less about his age-appropriate toys—he prefers his brother’s Power Rangers, Spider-Man and lightsabers.

Really? I want my babies back!

It’s also sad to me how quickly kids want to grow up. My son wants to be big. Despite his picky eating habits, he will now eat new foods simply because he thinks that his feet will get bigger so he can wear a size 13 shoe. While I chuckle at his logic, I’m at least happy at his new desire for “big kid food.”

My sadness at their growing up is also ironic. As the kids get older, so many things get easier. For instance, going out to dinner used to be a nightmare. Now, my boys enjoy it. Traveling used to mean two extra suitcases to accommodate all the baby gear. Now they each have their own bag and look forward to the vacation. But it still makes me sentimental about all the milestones we've passed, even if it means there are new ones ahead.

While I know there is no magic pixie dust to keep them young, it still breaks my heart when I realize how quickly their childhood years are going by.

How do you cope with the realization that your babies are not babies anymore? Are you sad that your kids are getting older? Tell us in the comments.