Emma's entrance to the Teen Years

Everyone says the teenage years are hard but if my first few days parenting a teenager are a hint of whats to come they may be wrong. With the return from vacation and Hurricane Irene, and the start of the school year, we planned Emma's party with very short notice. She just wanted to go to the mall with friends and then come home for cake. Her only request of me was to be flexible on when we left the mall. It was easy, inexpensive and she had a blast, plus the whole family got to be involved for at least the last part.

I was relieved that even with the short notice her 4 best girlfriends were all able to come. I drove them to the mall where they shopped together and they had that amazing ability of teenage girls to walk all bunched up, bumping into each other and giggling as they went. When we came back to the house, Rae, Meg and Bridge were all eager to join the fun. We shared cake, red velvet this year, gifts, and then played games. Ems friends were all great at including the little sisters and we all played Charades until parents arrived.

Then on Labor Day we had my whole family over for a cookout.  I noticed that as soon as the youngest cousin arrived, Emma scooped up 7 month old John and kept him occupied immediately. The adults sat outside picking steamed crabs and the cousins spread out through the house and yard. Emma kept the littlest happy, played with the other cousins and talked with the adults. She is so comfortable and competent. We all gathered around for birthday cake. We sang to her along with the other family with August and September birthdays. The celebration wasn't all about Emma but it was all about family, and I am so proud to see how she belongs.

That night she picked Applebee's for dinner. She picked it just for nostalgia sake from when she was little and always wanted to eat there. That night after she opened presents, we gathered to do bedtime prayers. I always end with a song so I said I would do Emma's favorites from when she was little. We sang "Gentle Woman" which Emma used to request regularly and then "Don't you Cry" from the Disney Tarzan sound track. I used to sing that to her  in her bedroom in our 1st townhouse before she could even talk and it really has been years since I've sung it. The song was a frequent request when she was a toddler and helped her calm down, so long ago. This time though it made her tear up and we were both surprised we remembered the words.

Her actual birthday was a school day, but we still all woke up crazy early to bring her breakfast in bed and sing. She wore a new shirt she had gotten for her birthday and then right before she headed out for the bus, she ran downstairs, dug through the dress up box and came up wearing a crown. She was special and the whole school would know it. She had a great day at school and continued to wear the crown to the first day of religious ed classes.

That night after our crazy Tuesday schedule I came home to find her working with Jim to set up her Facebook Profile. She was excited and was very willing to keep restrictions on her profile that we required. She didn't even argue about Jim's requirement for any boys that want to friend her, have to friend him first. She went to bed happy. It was a great start to a new year of life.

These past few days including the first ones of the teen years, have been full of hugs. Em has given me lots of extra hugs lately. And not just a hug but the holding on, resting your face on the shoulder, whole attention, "I love you so much" kind of hug. I am soaking it up and dishing it back out.
I love you, Emma!