Last Day of School
Our eldest daughter went to the end of year school party last night. She doesn't typically “do” parties, and had a pretty comical anxiety attack before leaving the houseturning back more than once before finally setting off on her way (wearing a dress for the first time in living memory!).
I couldn't help feeling incredibly proud, watching this beautiful young lady (I'm allowed to be biased) walk away from the house, her pony tail bobbing, and her dress billowing in the breeze. We have so much to be thankful forshe doesn't plaster herself inmakeup, she eats healthily, she doesn't roll her skirts up, and she doesn't go out of her way to impress anybody.
I'm hoping this summer will help her build some independence and confidence. In the past she has often been the kid that “tags along” with what everybody else is doingpartly because she is quiet, and partly because her sisters are younger, and more demanding. She now has the wonderful advantage of our trust, which unlocks her from those shackles, and lets her “do her own thing”. I foresee a summer for her filled with morning meetups in coffee shops, afternoons in the park by the river, and evenings hanging out at various friends houses.
I wonder how many other parents watch their children from a distance as closely as we do? It's obvious that some don't at all, and it's obvious that some look on with horror as their formerly wonderful children throw everything in their face. We get that too from time to time, and our eldest is (hopefully) slowly learning that no matter how much crap she throws, we are still there when the dust settleswe willalways be there.
The old adage that the 90% nightmare of bringing up children is more than paid for by the 10% when you glimpse the person they are going to become is absolutely true.