The Parenthood

I’m a late bloomer, it seems, at everything in my life – and most especially, parenting.
That said, I love, love, love being a parent, even the “bad parts” that involving disagreement with my husband over something to do with our daughter…as well as the squabbles, many of them half in jest, that occur between my daughter and me on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis.

This weekend, my little parenthood included the following:

My daughter’s first “dance,” held at a local Presbyterian Church, for 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders.  She wore denim shorts and her “layered tank top” look, and cute little booties.  She also wore some make-up -- hey, she’s going to be 13 soon.  Three boys asked her to dance, but she said “no thanks.” (She’s surprisingly shy about that boy-girl stuff right now, thank god, unlike some of her other friends!).  When I asked her if she’ll want to go to another dance at the church (they’re held monthly), she smiled a “yes,” and added, “I loved it, Mom.”

Is my little girl lost forever???

Shopping at Target.  It’s very hard to get my daughter to go shopping with me for anything, so when she suggests she wants to go the store, I jump on it.  But this weekend, she wanted a junket to Target in search of a “top” – T-shirt, plaid shirt, sparkly sweatshirt, or slinky/fancy “Flashdance shirt”….my daughter has a “top addiction.”  We agreed that she could not go over her allowance budget for a shirt.

I rarely escape a trip through Target for under $150.  I don’t know why…sometimes it’s the mini-grocery shop that sends me over the financial edge, sometimes it’s something completely ridiculous and spur of the moment, like plastic plates for summer dining out of doors (place setting for 6, please!).

This visit with my daughter was no exception:  2 tops, 4 camis, 1 comforter and sheet set with accent pillow for my daughter’s bedroom, as well as 2 boxes of Capri Sun and some soup for school-lunch microwaving,  later and our shopping excursion was over.  Total cost:  $213 and change.  Time spent with my daughter:  Priceless.

Girls lunch out.  After a little shopping, always time for a light lunch, eh?  My skinny-minny daughter is a growing girl:  1 medium sized Margarita Pizza and gluten free pasta with marinara sauce was consumed in a scant 30 minutes by my hungry soon-to-be teen (ok, I had 2 pieces of the pizza)…fueling at least 1/16^th of 1 inch in growth overnight.

The birthday party in the Cloud.   On Sunday afternoon, I finally sent birthday sleepover/60’s themed Evites out in the cloud to 12 girls for help in celebrating my lovely girl’s entrée to teendom.  13 tweens in a 1 tween home for an overnight filled with food, loud music/karaoke, and bad Teen Nick/Netflix movies. 

Did I mention how much I love parenting????

Happy Monday.