Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Summertime fun

Ever since all Liz's friends got out of school for the summer it's been pretty non stop. She either has someone over or she's at someone else's house. Her social input is just non stop. This is great in a lot of ways. I know she is having the time of her life. She has put together quite a cool little tribe for herself. The kids are interesting and a lot of fun. I get to be the cool mom and I know they like hanging out at my house. I'm the only mom they talk freely about who is going out with who, especially if it is same sex couples. I know who her friends are and I have a general idea of what they are up to. My mom was the same way for my sister and I so i am happy to do this for Liz. Drive them around, feed them, listen to them. I complain sometimes but really I love it.

I appreciate this moment of parenting the same way I appreciated when she was very small. It is totally intense but so brief and precious. I want to close my eyes and remember exactly what this feels like. When she was small I would try and hold onto the memory of what it felt like to hold her. When she fit along the length of my arm, the length of my torso, on my hip, in my lap. My memory has always worked in small snaps of time. I was so terrified I would forget her childhood I worked extra hard at making sure I held onto those snaps of time. I want to hold onto this moment in the same way. The swirl of teenagers, the noise, the laughter. She is waking me up in the middle of the night and making lots of demands of my resources just like when she was little too. At least there are no diapers : )

1 comment:

Cap'n Franko said...

Just stopped by to read up on your life and say, "Hi!" Our older daughter, MJ, is also 15 and a much braver soul than I ever was or am. It makes me feel so good to see her functioning in the world, creating her own life. Heck! Creating her own UNIVERSE.