I'm not ready!

It's hard to believe that my youngest daughter will be graduating in just a few short weeks.

Where does the time go?

It seems like only yesterday we attended her kindergarden graduation.

I still remember her proud little smile as she waved at us from her place in line. Swaying back and forth at the microphone when her turn came to say her part. She never missed a beat. Every word - clearly spoken. Even then she was strong and confident.

That's the thing about my daughter...she has never been afraid to speak her mind. And although I have always been proud of the way she stands up for herself - refuses to be controlled by peer pressure - and lacks all fear to be different, it has also been the source of my greatest frustration.

The dreaded teen years. Or should I say "The Rebellious Years." Those years gave Drew and I more grey hairs than I care to count.

Her quest to be queen of the late night social scene just did not jive with ours to keep her on the right path.

"Other kids stay out 'til 2am. Why do I have to be in at 12:30?"

"Because we're your parents? Because we worry? Because we want to get at least one decent night's sleep?"

Arly's Grad

2 comments

It's funny how our generation expects a seriousness from our kids that we never exhibited ourselves. We lecture them, saying "don't make the same mistakes we did."

The same lecture our parents gave us. What makes us think our kids will listen any better than we did?

We had to discover things for ourselves. And let's face it... the "don't do it's" were some of the most fun things to try.

Will our daughter make mistakes? Of course!

Which is probably why we cringe whenever she leaves the driveway..lol. But I also know she has to experience life - learn from your her own mistakes and carve her own path.  

It's difficult to let go, but I know that my girl will be fine. She's growing into a fine adult.

And if the stars aline just right, may she, about 30 years from now, have a beautiful 17 year old daughter just like her.