I have been having some sad moments lately as a mom. About two weeks ago my only daughter turned 13 years old. Up until that point everything was going smoothly. I thought this whole preteen thing was pretty easy and anticipated that it wouldn’t change much once she hit that magic number. I was wrong.
It’s like something took over her when she turned 13. I came up with my own term for it. It’s called the “Teen Bug.” Bug as in sickness, like when you get hit with the “flu bug.” I say bug because eventually you get better and that’s what I am anticipating, that eventually this will get better.
Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not that she has become this rebellious monster. However she has definitely developed “teen-tude” otherwise known as teen attitude. I had to go back and reread a previous blog I wrote called “Don’t Take Teen Attitudes Personally” so that I could make myself feel better.
It seems like every other conversation with her is peppered with a tone of voice that I don’t care for. She has been rolling her eyes a lot and suddenly everything is “stupid” or “lame.” She also recently asked if she could get blue streaks in her hair. I told her she could buy the spray stuff that washes out and use it on the weekends. I’m just not ready for streaks in the hair.
I really don’t even know that I’m ready for any of this. It seems like the little girl I once knew is slipping away, as she begins to find her place in this world. I know its part of the growing process but I can’t help but feel a little sad.
Last night we attended a Crowning Ceremony at our church. It’s a very formal affair where girls who have gone through several years of a program (similar to Girl Scouts only it’s Bible-based) eventually get to be crowned. Most of the girls get very dressed up and get their hair done, the whole thing. My daughter was crowned two years ago, so I was reliving that moment.
However before the actual crowning ceremony, they give out awards to the younger girls. They start with Kindergarten. These adorable girls with their blue uniforms and sashes filled with badges that they have earned, get to go up on stage and receive an award. I remembered when my daughter was that age, dressed in her uniform and had gone up on that stage to receive her award. Then a few years later she would get crowned. Now she was part of the audience, watching other girls go through this beautiful ceremony.
Time flies by too fast. The teen years seem to go at lightning speed. I think a part of me feels like I need to leave the past behind, with a little bit of grieving, and then be able to accept what lies ahead. She is beginning to leave childhood behind so I have to expect some bumps in the road.
Yes, she may be suffering from the teen bug but I know that part of her medicine will be found in my role as a mother. I can give her what she needs to help her make it through. I can be patient, a good example, correct her when it needs to be done and love her even if she acts unlovable. After all, I was once stricken with the same bug. Thankfully it doesn’t last forever.
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