Moms are blatant child-braggers. From the first smile, all the way until... well I don't think it ever stops, actually, ... we brag about our kids, and for good reason, too. Unconditional love, which is evolutionarily contradictory, gives us the ability to think our own offspring are the best, and all other children are somehow inferior. In short, we all think our kids rock, even if they don't. :-)
Those of you who have met my two girls will probably agree with me that they're amazing kids. They've endured hardship through no fault of their own, and are both honors students, well-behaved, and make good choices for the right reasons. My friends, family members, and their teachers all agree with that assessment, too, so it's not me looking at my girls with my Mom Glasses in place.
Last week, my younger daughter was at her best friend's for a sleepover. The next day, she sent me a text message, asking me to make an excuse for her to come home.
[We interrupt this blog for a side note. When my kids were in elementary school, I told them if they were in a peer pressure situation, to use me as the reason they wouldn't participate. It gives them an out while still socially saving face, and allows for distance to evaluate the situation and friendship at a later time. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog, already in progress.]
I kind of laughed, because it's an odd request to get from a 13-year-old. So I texted back, "Ok, um, come home to clean your room." This wasn't much of a reach. Her room is perpetually resembling what a clothing factory would look like post-apocalypse. So, long story short, she used me as an excuse to go home. I later asked her what the deal was, should I be concerned? She said everything was fine, no one was doing anything harmful or inappropriate, just going in a direction with language and video viewing that she didn't want to go. I was pretty proud of my daughter at that point for sticking to her personal principles and politely excusing herself from a situation she didn't think she should be in. And if the mother of the friend is reading this, don't worry, it wasn't anything BAD. Just not in her desired range of activities. I would tell you otherwise.
The other day, older daughter and I were riding back from her dance lesson. This child is a senior in high school, and as such has to complete a Senior Project in order to graduate. Leading into this summer, she had discussed working with an architect to design and build a scale model of a home for an actual client - a really ambitious undertaking. So, when she suddenly declared she wanted to learn ballroom dancing I was a little shocked. (And, truth be told, relieved, because ballroom dancing is much more manageable given this child's 12309487 other pursuits.) Many people, including me at first, challenged her because the architecture project would help as she pursues a career in architecture. She stuck to her guns, and enrolled in dance lessons. 45 minutes away. Did I mention she doesn't drive yet? :-) At any rate, her persistence paid off, and the other day she told me how much fun she is having, and how glad she is that she chose this project. She is the youngest member of her class but she doesn't let that stop her. The younger adults (I'd say in their 20s) enjoy her youthful energy, and one asked me if she was going to continue after her project was complete. Swim season and other priorities might prevent this for awhile, but rest assured my child will be back in classes as soon as she can, because she enjoys it so much. Everyone needs an outlet for energy, and this might be her lifelong avocation. Cool.
Both my girls are rather, well, STUBBORN. I have no idea from whose side of the family they get that. :-) In these two cases, their persistence has proven to be an asset rather than a liability. As girls, one of the best lessons they can learn is to trust their inner voice, not doubt themselves, and assert themselves. Looks to me like they're well on their way to becoming independent, assertive women, and this mama couldn't be more proud.
So tell me, what's your proudest (at least right now) parenting moment? Go ahead and brag. We all love to read stories about how our kids are doing great things.
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