Growing Pains

Time flies by...can't believe
she is 8 already!

My oldest turned eight the other day. I had a special trip planned for her to celebrate her birthday. The goal was to celebrate being a girl and learn what that all entails. We spent the afternoon dining, shopping, and swimming at the hotel pool. We spent the evening talking about being a girl and how difficult it can be at times.

Our discussion was guided by a couple of books I bought a while ago. One covered body basics, the other about taking care of your emotions. Both introduced topics that led to pretty meaningful conversations about growing up. We giggled a lot but there were also a few tears which reminded me how painful it is to grow up sometimes. It brought back memories of the painful moments I had growing up...my own insecurities, fights with friends, trouble with boys. My heart breaks a little for her as I know this is the beginning of some possibly very difficult years ahead.

My wonderful 8-year-old being
a great big sis and hopefully
a great role model, too!

At the end of the trip it was very apparent it was a trip we needed. A trip I needed. I often am exhausted by all of the time and energy I spend trying to teach her how to be a good kid; at being a confident, respectful and responsible citizen of the world. I sometimes forget how exhausting and painful it can be to be a kid. As I look at her and all of the things she does and doesn't do, at all of the things she is amazing at and all the things she's not, at all of the things she seems to need to learn over and over, I am reminded of what a beautiful, bright, and confident young lady she is becoming and that she is just beginning to learn how to navigate relationships and life while dealing with all these growing pains.

She may be growing up fast but
all I have to do is watch her
sleep to remember she is still
such a babe!

And despite how painful it can be to grow up, it is unbelievable how painful parenting is. Painful to watch you children struggle with friendships. Painful watching them get hurt. Painful watching them fail at something. But the thing that was most painful for me this weekend was realizing how fast she is growing up. During this trip I was able to appreciate all of the good things I sometimes don't see amidst all of the teaching and training we do to ensure she's a successful human being. That being said, it's pretty painful to see her become so independent, to be able to have more grown up conversations. It's painful to think in a blink of an eye she won't want to snuggle or hang out or maybe even confide in me.

I hope we will learn how to be there for and comfort each other as we both endure these growing pains during the next several years. And I hope she will continue to grow to be a beautiful, bright, and confident young lady who loves to snuggle with her mom...even when it's not cool to anymore.