And so it begins...

I have a teenager. That fact has recently become abundantly clear. Oh, not because of any teenage attitude, thankfully. But...last Saturday night, I drove 4 giggly, loud 8th grade girls, mine included, to Friendly's. To have supper. Without me. Without any parents AT the restaurant. Where they met up with two BOYS!!!!! Yeah, 2 on 1...gotta love those odds! :)

They had supper, didn't destroy the restaurant, didn't get kicked out, and were driven home a few hours later. 3 of them came home to my house...it was loud here. They were giddy, they had a blast, and fun, and that was that.

Now, we have house rules. And one big one is we do NOT date until we are out of highschool! And for the most part, Shao is okay with this. Because she is a smart kid, she realizes that this boy/girl thing can be very time-consuming, very emotional, and very distractive to school and whatever else you participate in (in our case, dance, MANY hours a week!) Obviously I do not consider this "dating." Although two of the kids ARE "dating." Which according to Shao consists of ocassionally going somewhere with a bunch of kids and eating, or bowling, or whatever. And MIGHT consist of talking on the phone, or Facebook. And probably does NOT include talking to one another at school, or having lunch together. Too funny. Actually, apparently the term in vogue is "going out." And my question is always, "Just where are they GOING?" And Shao's reply is "Nowhere!" Silliness...ah, to be 13 again! :) I DO encourage having lots and lots of friends, and it is my sincere hope that many of them will be boys. I DO, obviously, encourage well-planned group get-togethers with large groups of kids...mind you, well-supervised ones. And it was a little nerve-wracking to leave them off at Friendly's. But they were told to NOT leave the building under penalty of death, and that since I frequent that restaurant, that I do NOT want to hear of any bad behaviour next time I went in!!!!!

So...we'll see how this house rule rides over the next few years. I am nothing if not reasonable with many of these, and I may change it, if I feel it is okay to do so. I think that she has enough on her plate, what with 4 days a week of dance, school, where I expect her to do her best, and where she usually is on the honor roll, if not the high honor roll. And it's only going to get more hectic. And then there's volunteer work we do in the summer, and Ballet Summer Intensive Sessions. She is a busy girl, and these are the things that will stand her in good stead in her future choice of careers (being a prima ballerina, as it stands now.) But she is an exceptional kid, and we'll see. I still think that it is hard at a young age to handle the emotional aspects of an intense romantic relationship.

Recently I gave her the go-ahead to begin wearing more than mascara. She does a very nice job of it, and it looks natural. She is thrilled. This was a privilege that she knew she MIGHT get in high-school, but not before. But I knew I could trust her so it was a gift for "GOTCHA DAY." She was so cute...I gave her a makeup bag filled with lash curler, makeup, etc. She looked up and said, "THANK YOU, Mommy, but I can't use these yet." And I replied, "Oh, really? Who said?" At which I was proclaimed the best mommy in all the world, and hugged and loved on beyond reason. Love that girly of mine!

So...now I become even more careful and watchful of this treasure God has entrusted to me. It is SOOO hard to let go. I am working on it. She is patient. It will only get 'worse.' Give me strength, Lord!!!

Blessings...Nancy