Thirteen

 A teenager.  Wow.  My heart aches a little bit just writing that.  Time is moving too fast and I feel like I’m grasping at straws to keep you little.  I look at old pictures of you and want to rewind time and enjoy those moments again with you, to revise what I’d say to you, to realize how little you were in that moment and cherish it so much more than I did at the time.

The silver lining is that although I so very much miss your days of being little, I am absolutely loving you at this age.  I think that you as a teenager might be my very favorite stage so far. 

Why?

Because you have become more than just my daughter, you’ve become my friend.

You’ve opened up to me about worries of friends and boys, school and clothes.  We’ve rode the rollercoaster of your first boyfriend, your first romance, your first love and your first heartbreak.  You’ve vented to me about who was mean, who annoyed you, who made your heart flutter.  You’ve opened up to me more in the last year than ever before.  And this new bond with you, it’s something I cherish with all of heart.

You are blooming right in front of my eyes and I feel so blessed that you’re letting me have a front row seat. 

At thirteen, you are resilient.  You have faced heartbreak and deception, and yet you’ve kept to the high-road and continued to be kind.  

You’ve forgiven, so much more than I ever could at your age.  

You are brave.  You face people and issues head on, and don’t back down when you feel something isn’t justified.  

You are yourself.  You dress how you want, you act how you want, you do the things that you love and you don’t try to be anybody else.  You embrace your differences and realize they are what make you special.  

You’re honest about your ADHD and you allow others to see you exactly how you are, challenges and all.  

You are caring.  You love your friends with your whole heart and you lift them up when they need a shoulder to cry on.  

You are funny.  So very very funny.  Sometimes I don’t get your humor, and yet, you still laugh and be silly anyway.  You have empathy.  

You continue to root for the underdog and see the good in others, even when they have hurt you in the past.

Simply put, you are amazing.

And if you are this incredible at only thirteen years old, just imagine the person you’ll someday be.  So even though I’d like to stop the clock and cherish every minute I have with you, I am also excited to all the things ahead.

Happy Thirteenth Birthday, my beautiful blue-eyed girl.