I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when Zoe went, looks-wise, from baby to little girl – but the 3- or 4-year-old range sounds about right to me. So I read with great interest (and laughed a little) when I came across an article on new research showing that at about 4 ½, kids are no longer seen as babies and no longer considered so darn cute. From the article:

Chinese psychologists and researchers at the University of Toronto asked adults to gauge the attractiveness of children’s faces from infancy to age 6; the study participants found younger kids’ faces more likable than those of older children — and way more gorgeous than adults’. The magic tipping point? Age 4 ½. That’s the age at which “certain crucial infantile facial cues” — the researchers are talking about babies’ big eyes and big heads in relation to their smallish noses and mouths — are no longer very noticeable, according to the study, which was published in the fall in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.

I get the appeal of smallish noses and mouths (those features on Avery - combined with her big eyes and big hair – drive me crazy), and it’s good to know we’ve got some more time with them. But, as any parent knows, you adore your kids and think they’re cute well after their babydom slips away. And I like the way the writer here puts it, noting that though her daughter is older than 4 ½ the mom is still “scientifically smitten.” When it comes to Zoe: me, too.

-M

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 29th, 2012 at 12:12 pm and is filed under 68.Two kids-March 12. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.