There are so many things to look forward to when you have daughters. So many milestones, so many memories. I remember holding both of my daughters when they were newborns and looking into their eyes, wondering what their future would hold. Visions of hair ribbons and pigtails swirled in my head. Prom dresses, wedding dresses, and mother-daughter chats are all things I looked forward to as I’ve watched my daughters grow up.
But then there are the milestones you don’t think about. Those times in your daughter’s life you wish you could just skip over.
I knew this time would be coming. My daughter is almost 15, so it’s been on the horizon for a couple years. I’ve been trying to ignore it, and pretending I haven’t seen it coming. I’ve been keeping a smile on my face, trying to avoid the sadness I knew was coming.
In short, I’m out.
Instead of being the first person my daughter rushes to when she has something good to tell, I have quickly fallen down the totem pole. I’m no longer the most important person in my teenagers life. I’m not the top dog, the queen bee. The new world order seems to be as follows:
FRIENDS
BOYS
FACEBOOK
TEXTING
EATING
HANGING OUT IN HER ROOM
TALKING TO THE DOG
TALKING TO ME
I’m OUT, people. Out of the loop. I have to hear what’s going on in my teenager’s life from my 9-year old, who usually finds out because she snoops, or eavesdrops on Facebook conversations.
All of a sudden my 9-year old has turned into a font on knowledge in our house, knowing everything there is to know in the world of high school happenings. She snoops, she investigates, she asks innocent questions, and then she reports back to me.
Because I’m just the mom, and I would never understand what it’s like to be a teenager. So therefore, I am worthless when it comes to talking to me about teenage problems and high school issues.
They might as well just take me to the nursing home now and sit me in front of the Lawrence Welk show.
