My daughter Grace just turned eleven. Eleven! I can’t believe how fast time flies once you become a mother. What I also did not know was how earth shattering, life changing, challenging and rewarding having a daughter would be. I certainly didn’t know how my own flesh and blood could act and react so different from me at her age. Times have changed.
The irony of being a mother to a “girly girl” daughter continue to humble me, and to call my better self forward.
For her birthday this year, she chose to take a few friends to the holiday symphony concert. Her dream party was to have a few of her closest girlfriends over to “primp” by painting their fingernails and curling their hair, then getting dressed up. This was quite the stretch for this mama who, while growing up, wore dirt for fingernail polish and was the epitome of a tomboy. But I knew Grace would be thrilled at the notion, so I complied. I’m a bit embarrassed to tell you that my father was a mathematician, because you may come to the conclusion that I should have calculated a word equation with all the variables to figure in different lengths of hair, texture, and style preference to determine the amount of time it would take. WHEW!
I should have hired help……
The evening continued on, and the girls looked beautiful when they dressed up in their fancy clothes. It was a memorable night. I was a little blown away by how old my daughter looks. At 11, she stands face to face with me and is already has feet one shoe size bigger than me.
Where did my little girl go? She is growing up, and I am torn between resistance and excitement. I want to slow her down, step back, have her play in the rain without a care, and have ME be the one she wants to hang out with. Times have changed…..and I realize that all I really can do is know that I provided her with a good foundation, a place to feel comfortable with who she is becoming, and share our mutual interests such as music so we continue to stay connected through all the messiness of growing up. She’ll make mistakes, I know. So will I. But somehow, some way, we will navigate this new territory together and try our best to enjoy the journey along the way. Happy Birthday, my only daughter.
LIFE LESSON? My life is so full of Grace, and I am truly blessed.
