04.30.07

I now have 2 teenagers, HELP ME!!

Posted in Life, the Universe and All that Jazz at 12:40 am by Meg

Girl has been getting ragged for the last month or so because of the TMNT movie that came out. You see Boy had been a C-section (after a looong labor) and I had wanted to do a Vbac with our second child.

When it got past her due date and the sonogram was showing another large child (and my sister, L, was heading home - so we were losing our babysitter) we decided to have her induced. While we were waiting for the labor to begin, the TV in the room was showing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3. I don’t remember one bit of it, but Hubby will remind her from time to time. So with the new movie, she’s gotten rather tired of hearing any more. Poor thing.

She turns 13 today

My baby.

She’s so independent at times it drives me crazy wondering what she’ll naively get herself into. Then she’ll turn around and can’t seem to even take a step without my input.

It’s hard to believe how long it’s been since I’ve had a little baby to hold. These days she’s only 1/4 inch shorter than I am and I’m hardpressed to pick her up at all.

But, she’s a wonder to behold. Smart as can be and not shy about it. She is so confident in her own skin (something that I wasn’t even close to at this age.) and it shows in all of her interactions with the people around her. I love that she’s as comfortable talking to the boys as she is to the girls.

This last year has had some rocky moments in our interactions as she has started to question anything and everything that didn’t fit into her image of what it should be. It’s been a learning curve for both of us to redefine our relationship and our places in it. One that, I expect, will continue for a few more years. It makes it a challenge to be her mom some days, but even as we struggle with some things, we are finding common ground on others.

As she ages, so do I. And as she leaves each stage behind, being my youngest, I do to. I look at the young homeschooling families and realize that my days at the beginning of the road are over. It’s kind of bittersweet.

But then I watch her strapping on her wings and I realize that I wouldn’t want to hold her back. She thinks she’s ready to take on the world and looks to me to be her ground for when she needs to touch down. And I can do this new role, sitting back and enjoying watching her soar as she searches for her own path into the unknown.

Happy Birthday Baby. There might be times when you drive me absolutely crazy, but I wouldn’t change you for a minute.

PS: For anyone curious, that blue dress is the costume we made for her role as Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

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