Oh my goodness, time has flown by and I have so much to share with all of you! I’m not necessarily going in chronological order, but driven more by what is on my mind the most.
First to share is my older daughter’s 13th birthday. Yep, I no longer have any tweens, but I have officially entered into the realm of having 3 TEENAGERS under one roof….oh, and a 2 year old….this is going to be fun!
I guess the biggest thing for me with my daughter becoming a teenager is how quickly she is growing up. For her birthday, we decided to have a bowling party with some of her friends from school. I felt bad, but with how much things cost nowadays she was not able to invite everyone she wanted. Well, concern number 1, are any of her friends that she couldn’t invite no longer interested in continuing a friendship? It is unfortunate that we couldn’t quite give her the party she wanted, but my husband and I always try to be very responsible with our finances and not live outside of our means. This translates into a tight budget for our family, especially in today’s economy. I don’t want my little girl to lose friends just because we couldn’t afford it, but we do have to work within the confines of our income. I know it was hard for her. Hopefully, as she gets older, she comes to recognize some of the true, deep and close friendships she has and draws comfort and strength from them. And, I pray, that these close friends can all lean on each other when life gets truly difficult. Which brings me to my other concern…
As I watched the girls bowl, it was wonderful to see them just being present with each other, enjoying the company, having a good time and no one cared if they were a terrible bowler or not. It was great to see them so carefree. Unfortunately I know this is momentary. Some might have things going on that they hide very well and others…well who knows what the future will throw at them. But I worry about them. Will they suffer from anxiety (which my daughter does) or depression? Will the stress of academics consume them? Will they become overwhelmed by pressure to get into a good college? Will the fashions in our society cause them to think they are fat or ugly? They are all wonderful girls, through and through, and I was so happy to see them just being themselves. There was a relaxed feeling as they had fun; no pressures or burdens weighing them down. It was a feeling like someone had released the pressure from a pressure cooker and everyone could just be. I took time to delight in the carefree atmosphere of the moment, all the while wishing that it would never end. Not just for my own daughter, but for all the daughters (and sons) out there.
Happy 13th Birthday baby girl. I can’t wait to see what you do in this world!