Daughter

Adolescence is a period of rapid changes. Between the ages of 12 and 17, for example, a parent ages as much as 20 years. ~Author Unknown

It's amazing to me how infinite love is. I absolutely adore my daughter with every ounce of my being, yet still have enough love for so many others. Since it has been such a long time since I've written, I'm going to "borrow" from a friend and fellow blogger and highlight each of my
children. Daughter goes first for two reasons: 1) birthright and 2) she reaches another milestone tomorrow [her FIRST day of the driving portion of Driver's Ed]. I am excited, scared, and in complete disbelief that I have a child on the threshold of being an official driver!! When I think back over the past 15 years I cannot help but think about the movie Parenthood. It's one of my all-time favorites and I often quote it in my everyday life. The scene to which I refer at this moment is when the grandmother is talking about the roller coaster: "You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it." I know exactly how she feels. Each day is a new adventure filled with a wide range of emotions. Without further rambling, Daughter is in the 9th grade and 15 years old. She is still my sunshine even though I wouldn't embarrass her by saying it publicly. She does well in school, plays in the bands [clarinet for marching and high school bands; saxophone for the jazz band], plays volleyball in the fall, and plays basketball [this year she played both varsity and jv due to #'s] in the winter. She makes me laugh and I love to spend time with her. Lately, our "thing" is to veg out in front of the tv during the weekends watching stuff we DVR or something (usually lame) from Netflix. We always watch The Big Bang Theory and SNL. We like to bash Zac Bagans on Ghost Adventures. Probably not the BEST thing we could be doing, but it's winter and we are on the go all week between all the activities. At this stage of the game I am thankful that she still will spend so much time with me. I hope we are truly as close as I think we are. We talk pretty openly...probably shockingly to some, but I firmly believe that open conversation is key in parenting a teen. One thing we don't do so well together is shop. I do not know why, but somewhere during a shopping excursion, there is going to be a disagreement. It's a given. She loves the Heels, but doesn't plan to go there. She has her sights set on State. Yes, my blood runs blue, but her happiness is my happiness. She is a text-aholic as most teens are. I love her giggle, her purposely mismatched socks, and the feisty look she gets on her face when she's playing defense against an Amazon. She loves unicorns, Skittles, Salt-n-Vinegar chips, pepperoni out of the package, and Pepsi. She occasionally wears makeup, is best friends with the flat iron (even though it is not even close to being curly...well, maybe a little wavy), takes marathon showers (with the music blaring...she ruined the remote control that came with her boom box that plays her iPod...is it even CALLED a boom box these days?), says exactly what's on her mind, and is generous with hugs. She eats venison with her uncle. In the summer she is a research assistant with Gayle Plaia from State. She collects and records data and samples of oysters. I love to watch her when she is in her 'scientist' mode. She auditioned for District Band last year which totally amazed me...she is sooooo much like me when it comes to public events. Although she did not make the band, I was incredibly proud of her for trying. She auditioned again this year AND MADE IT! I am so excited about the concert in Greenville on Feb. 5. I am in awe of her. She is strong-willed and tenacious, loving and tender-hearted. Her sense of humor fits in perfectly in this household...so much so that sometimes I worry about what she might say in public. Her musical taste is varied. Sometimes I like it and download it to my personal iPod, other times it makes me want to freak out (yes, that would be the genre that contains what I call GROWLING). Rap, country, oldies (for her generation that is music from MY generation), growling...just to name a few. New Year's Eve was different this year as she went to a band party (supervised by a fellow band parent, of course...I know what I was up to at 15 and that is not gonna happen around here - not that she displays ANY sign of wanting to go out and get into "mischief"). And yes, I have punctuated the best...rest assured, it's not all happiness and fun...we have our fair share of wicked times where we both act less than civil (Hubby will be laughing about my written description about this one). Another thing I have learned about mothering is the intense emotion that can erupt and burst forth because of wanting the absolute best for a child...my "rages" are spurred by the deep passion I have for her to succeed in her endeavors. I am sure some of my best will be shared among friends in college while she and her friends swap stories of their lame parents. Having experienced this myself, I know that it will basically be an odd form of flattery. I love her more than chocolate....and tomorrow my baby drives. I will age 20 years JUST TOMORROW! (I began this yesterday and didn't get a chance to post...rather than alter it, I am just adding this addendum...SHE DRIVES IN LESS THAN 2 HOURS!)