Not all is bad this Friday the 13th. My daughter Rachel, AKA “The Girly-Girl”, turned 18 today. That means that my wife and I have now shepherded a second child to adulthood. That’s right: my daughter can now vote, get married without my permission, get a tatoo(not likely, as she is scared to death of needles), sign a legal contract, enlist in the military, buy tabacco, gamble, almost anything her little heart desires… EXCEPT she cannot buy alcohol in this country (Go figure, you can die for your country but you cannot buy a drink).
I was able to enlist my dad to bring Rachel some Godiva Chocolates and a bouquet of roses to give her at her school today-I would have loved to have seen the expression on her face, but with my training into my new hospital job, I could not make the delivery myself- but my dad said she was very surprised and very pleased.
We are going to take her out to Buca Italian Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis tonight.
It’s hard to believe that the little blonde girl I read Dr. Seus to as a young child, who would read equine vet books for fun, is now officially a woman-and a horse-owner, to boot. People have asked me how I feel about that. To be honest, I am ambivilant. I am proud of the confident, smart, independent woman she is. I think the responsibilities of being a horse owner the last few years have helped mature her…but I tell people that in parenting, it’s not the final destination, it’s the journey along the way in which you have to take a moment, take it in and enjoy it, because childhood is a fleeting thing… 18 years sure went by in a hurry.
Having an infant grandson in the house takes a bit of the sting out of having my kids growing up. I can honestly say about both of my kids that even if I was not their father, I would still enjoy being around them and talking with them and sharing a laugh.
When I think of parents who have really been through the grindstone with their kids during tough, tough times during their teenaged years going through things like anorexia, bulimia, drug addiction, mental illness, wearing Goth clothing, I realize just how lucky my wife and I have been-yeah, we created some of our good luck with loving discipline, but sometimes even in the best of homes, things just sometimes don’t turn out right, and the kid ends up being a pain in the ass- so I really am appreciative of the smart, kind-hearted, mature people both of my kids became.
Happy Birthday, Rachel. Mom and I love you and are very proud to call you our daughter.
Oh yeah, sorry we can’t take Maverick with us to Buca-something about health codes and lack of a place where we can tie a horse up.
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