For Stacey Solomon, it was one of those bittersweet parenting moments that arrives far too quickly.

The television favourite found herself overwhelmed with emotion as her four-year-old daughter Rose reached a major childhood milestone — saying goodbye to nursery and preparing to begin the next chapter of her young life at primary school.

What should have been a day filled entirely with celebration quickly became an emotional reminder of just how fast childhood passes.

As Stacey looked back through memories documenting Rose’s three years at nursery, the 36-year-old admitted that seeing those precious moments collected together had hit her harder than she expected.

“The end of an era,” she wrote, describing the experience of looking through her daughter’s nursery memories as “actually heartbreaking.”

For any parent who has watched a child suddenly outgrow a familiar classroom, a favourite teacher or a daily routine that once seemed permanent, Stacey’s emotions will feel instantly familiar.

But Rose’s milestone was only part of an especially emotional day for the family.

One day, two huge childhood milestones

While Rose was celebrating her graduation from nursery and preparing for primary school, Stacey’s niece Mila was also marking a major transition of her own — finishing primary school before moving on to secondary education.

Two children. Two endings. Two completely new beginnings.

Stacey watched Rose celebrate her nursery graduation, saw her niece close the door on her primary-school years and found herself saying goodbye to teachers who had become an important part of the family’s everyday life.

It was enough to leave the mother deeply reflective.

“What a day,” she wrote as she shared her feelings with followers.

But rather than focusing only on how emotional she felt watching the children grow up, Stacey turned much of her message toward the people who had helped guide them along the way.

Her tribute to teachers and caregivers became perhaps the most touching part of all.

“You’re raising my babies with me”

Stacey shared a deeply personal thank-you to the teachers, nursery workers and caregivers who have played such an important role during her children’s formative years.

Her words captured something many working parents understand all too well: teachers do far more than simply teach lessons.

They comfort children when their parents are not there.

They encourage them when they are nervous.

They celebrate tiny victories that can feel enormous in a child’s world.

And over the years, they often become part of the memories families carry forever.

“You’re raising my babies with me,” Stacey wrote in a heartfelt tribute.

She went on to express her enormous appreciation for the “effort, love, kindness and care” shown by teachers and caregivers every single day.

For Stacey, their role is not simply about preparing children academically for the next classroom.

It is about helping parents shape the people their children will eventually become.

“Helping us shape our humans ready for the world,” she added.

She ended her message by wishing education staff a well-earned rest over the summer, signing off affectionately: “To the moon and back.”

The memory book that brought everything flooding back

Perhaps one of the most emotional parts of Rose’s final nursery day came when Stacey began looking through a memory book documenting the little girl’s journey.

Three years of childhood captured between pages.

For adults, three years can disappear almost unnoticed.

For a young child, however, those years contain an entire world of firsts — friendships formed, confidence gained, new skills discovered and countless ordinary moments that suddenly become precious once that chapter is over.

Looking back at Rose’s journey appeared to make the reality of the milestone sink in for Stacey.

The little girl who first walked into nursery was now preparing for primary school.

And just like that, an era was over.

It is a feeling countless parents experience at the end of every school year: pride mixed with nostalgia, excitement tangled with the strange sadness of knowing that a particular version of childhood can never quite be repeated.

A message for parents facing their own “new beginnings”

Stacey also made sure her message extended beyond her own family.

She sent “cuddles” to parents and carers experiencing similar transitions, acknowledging that this time of year can be surprisingly emotional for families.

Whether it is leaving nursery, finishing primary school, beginning secondary education or moving on to another major stage, these milestones often affect parents just as deeply as the children themselves.

There is excitement about what comes next — but also the unmistakable feeling of saying goodbye to something that once seemed as though it would last forever.

And Stacey is far from the only well-known mother finding herself emotional over a child’s latest milestone.

Rebecca Adlington admits she has been “crying for about a week”

Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington also recently shared an emotional reflection as her eldest daughter, Summer, prepared to leave primary school.

The 37-year-old posted photographs showing Summer on her first and last days of primary education — a comparison that immediately highlighted just how much can change in seven years.

Rebecca admitted the milestone had left her struggling to contain her emotions.

“To anyone who knows anyone with kids leaving primary school… check on them. They are not ok,” she joked emotionally.

She then confessed that she had been “crying for about a week,” with the final end-of-year assembly bringing those feelings rushing to the surface once again.

“I cannot believe my baby girl is leaving primary school,” Rebecca wrote.

Looking back over those seven years, she reflected on just how much life had changed.

The family lived through the Covid era, moved home, Summer changed schools and became a big sister twice.

Through all of those changes, one constant remained: she kept growing up.

Rebecca said she was enormously proud of her daughter before sending support to other parents experiencing the same emotional goodbye.

The strange heartbreak hidden inside a happy milestone

There is something uniquely bittersweet about watching children move forward.

Parents spend years encouraging independence, celebrating every achievement and preparing their children for the next stage.

Then, when that next stage finally arrives, it can feel almost impossible to believe how quickly the previous one disappeared.

For Stacey, Rose finishing nursery is unquestionably a happy milestone.

Primary school awaits, bringing new friendships, new teachers, new experiences and an entirely new collection of memories.

Yet her emotional reaction reveals the other side of these moments.

Every exciting beginning also means something else has ended.

The nursery drop-offs.

The familiar teachers.

The tiny routines that once felt ordinary.

The version of Rose who belonged to that particular chapter of childhood.

All of it now becomes a memory.

And perhaps that is why Stacey’s tribute to the people who helped care for her daughter felt particularly meaningful.

Behind every photograph in Rose’s memory book were adults who had watched her learn, grow and become increasingly independent.

For Stacey, saying goodbye to nursery was therefore not simply about leaving a building.

It was about thanking the people who had quietly become part of her family’s story.

“The end of an era”

Those four words perhaps summed up the entire day better than anything else.

“The end of an era.”

Rose may only be four, with an enormous amount of growing up still ahead of her, but childhood is made up of countless small eras that disappear almost before parents realise they are ending.

The first day of nursery becomes the last.

The child who once needed help walking through the door suddenly graduates and prepares for primary school.

And the memories that once felt like everyday life become photographs in a book.

For Stacey Solomon, this particular goodbye brought tears, pride and enormous gratitude.

But above all, it offered a reminder familiar to parents everywhere:

The days can sometimes feel long.

The years rarely do.