Congratulate Me, It's My Daughter's Birthday

I mean, shouldn't I be the one getting the presents?

After all, I'm the one who went through the pregnancy. I'm the one who went through all the bodily discomforts, the doctor's visits and the free advice from perfect strangers.

Not to mention the labor. But I won't go into that again. I've talked about it elsewhere........

Then, of course, I should be feted for surviving a year of tween angst and being braced for the next round of woes. Adolescence is NOT like wine. It won't improve as it ages, unless you spell it "whine".......

Seriously, I am very proud of SC. Aside from her math woes, she is growing and flourishing. Her social life is suffering from the fact that there are only 11 girls in the 5th grade, and she tends to be odd girl out. But she stood up to her "best" friend last week, who has been, in SC's own words "turning me on and off like a light switch".  And when the friend denied it, she gave her concrete examples of what she'd been doing. I was proud of that.

She's smart enough to have figured out that there are popular girls, girls who fit in, and girls like her, who don't quite fit in because they just don't follow the herd.  I'm sorry she had to figure that out at 10, but come next fall, she will be in middle school, where the 6th grade contains twice as many kids as are in her ENTIRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!

Meanwhile she is 11 today, taller at that age than I was at 14. Her hands are as big as mine, and though her fingers have the same stubby shape as mine do,  they have her father's artistic skills. She wants to be a writer and illustrate her own books when she grows up.

And she is a dancer. Not a natural talent, she has to struggle to succeed at it--just as I do, as a matter of fact. But she loves her ballet teacher and her classes and she has a wonderful time with her dancing classmates!

I've decided something though. I don't think I WANT her to be 11. Why can't she be 10 again, and then 9 next year, and on and on until she is my sweet little baby again? It lasted for such as SHORT time............................

Oh, well. Happy birthday, SC. You are my first born and though you drive me nuts, I love you with all my heart.

Hug your babies a lot today, moms. And when they drive YOU nuts, know that it won't last for long. It goes from that to this:

And it happens in just no time at all.................

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