Day: May 16, 2008

Today I saw a picture of Kiki three years ago. I remember at the time the picture was taken, I thought she was getting really big. Now I look at that photo and she looks so small. Kiki has gained nearly a foot of height, slimmed down, and developed curves. My little girl has turned into a teenager. Thus far parenting a teen has been pretty easy. Of course I’ve only been doing it for less than a day, so I’m not going to rest on my laurels.

Parents are frequently frightened of the teen years. Perhaps I should be, but I’m not. I like that Kiki is growing more independent and responsible. I like that we can have increasingly complex conversations. Yes we’re going to have some struggles as Kiki strives to create her own identity as separate from our family, but mostly I think it is going to be fun. Babies and toddlers and preschoolers are cute, but teens can play games that I enjoy playing.

Kiki is now a teen and the adventure has only begun.