Suburban Warrior

As most mothers do at some point, I'm having one of those moments where I look at my daughter and I am overwhelmed with the whole concept of her being...

Now for some of you who know me, this is VERY out of character for me. And for those who don't personally know me, you can probably tell from my blog that I am not a sunshiney, feel good, glass is half full type of gal (my husband teases that my motto is "we're doomed, we're doomed..." and that I'm worse than Chicken Little). So, we'll just have to see how long this feeling lasts...

Anyhoo...in the last few weeks, I've watched my daughter engage in some new activities...activities that she successfully conquered without a tear being shed (and if you knew my daughter, you would share in my enthusiasm for her success). For example, a few days ago we went to our local Dicks Sporting Goods Store and Elizabeth begged to try the huge rock climbing wall they have (she's been begging since she was two years old). Previously she had never made the height requirement, but this time she just squeaked by...Well, in my usual "we're doomed" head, I was thinking, "this has disaster written all over it". Elizabeth got her gear on, was strapped into her harness and had an audience of customers cheering her on!! Great, more witnesses to the frustration fit that is sure to follow when lil Miss Perfection can't do it. Well, my little monkey maneuvered, took her time and was actually PATIENT in trying to figure out her next move on the wall!! By God, she was growing up!! When my husband would try and give her direction, she would calmly say, "yeah, ok, I know Daaaaddd". And when the time limit was up and she still hadn't reached the top to ring the bell, how did she respond??? Elizabeth simply came down!!! The old Elizabeth might have gone after the clerk and strangled him with the harness. I'm joking, she was never that bad...really...just a tad tempermental...but with a firm voice and a stun gun you could always get her back under control. Elizabeth was disappointed she didn't conquer the wall (she made it more than half way up the wall), but she made us proud not only of her agility, but also her maturity.

I think I'll keep her.