"How do you feel having your little girl look so grown-up?"
My 13 yrs. old daughters teacher from last year was in the hallway with us yesterday. We did a brief "catch-up" on our summers and, as the conversation was winding down, and my girl was walking away, her former teacher put her hands to her face and mouthed the words, "Oh My Gosh". She then asked the question I've been tossing about in my brain for a while now, "How do you feel?"
My daughter is in 8th grade, stands tall at 5'9 and has a body to match that height. Same growth that I had, no surprises. The problem with having the height and all that goes with it is that people, better yet strangers, assume you are older than you are and address you in a more mature way than you're ready to handle. It's a pretty gross feeling, I remember it well.
So with the question of how I'm feeling, loads of thoughts go through my mind. There are so many angles, so many emotions about the maturing of your child. To be perfectly honest, my first thought is that I'm fading. I stand next to her (still an inch taller, thank you very much!) and I see her beautiful features deliver themselves everyday while I see mine fading in the mirror. I don't look like this in my mind! It's that darn reflection. I'll put on the mascara and the blush to bring them back temporarily, but away they go. And I'm cool with that, really. It's just part of my answer to, "How do you feel?"
I'm feeling a lot. That is my answer. And I will continue to feel it all while I watch both of my daughters grow and be amazed and grateful they are in my life.
My 13 yrs. old daughters teacher from last year was in the hallway with us yesterday. We did a brief "catch-up" on our summers and, as the conversation was winding down, and my girl was walking away, her former teacher put her hands to her face and mouthed the words, "Oh My Gosh". She then asked the question I've been tossing about in my brain for a while now, "How do you feel?"
My daughter is in 8th grade, stands tall at 5'9 and has a body to match that height. Same growth that I had, no surprises. The problem with having the height and all that goes with it is that people, better yet strangers, assume you are older than you are and address you in a more mature way than you're ready to handle. It's a pretty gross feeling, I remember it well.
So with the question of how I'm feeling, loads of thoughts go through my mind. There are so many angles, so many emotions about the maturing of your child. To be perfectly honest, my first thought is that I'm fading. I stand next to her (still an inch taller, thank you very much!) and I see her beautiful features deliver themselves everyday while I see mine fading in the mirror. I don't look like this in my mind! It's that darn reflection. I'll put on the mascara and the blush to bring them back temporarily, but away they go. And I'm cool with that, really. It's just part of my answer to, "How do you feel?"
I'm feeling a lot. That is my answer. And I will continue to feel it all while I watch both of my daughters grow and be amazed and grateful they are in my life.