So, two things happened at around the same time this week that pointed out the obvious – my kid is growing up.
1. She used the word “party” as a verb. As in, “I’ll be partying over here.” Um, WTF? I don’t think I’ve ever said that to her. I know her father has never said that to her. Which means one of the juvenile delinquents the lovely young people she goes to school with said it, and she thought it was cool enough to say herself. Yah, you won’t be “partying” anywhere anytime soon if I have anything to say about it. How ’bout “partying” for your 30th birthday? That sounds soon enough for me.
2. She slept over for the first time without a relative. I honesly was not expecting this one. She’d been anxious about Girl Guide camp for a couple of weeks, even though I told her she didn’t have to sleep over if she didn’t want to. But on the way there on Saturday, she declared “Mommy, I think I’m going to sleep over, and it’s going to be a lot of fun!” And that was it. She never looked back. I spent the night chronically watching my cellphone – making sure the ringer was on, making sure it was on, etc. But she did awesome. Yesterday the leaders told me she was an absolute delight. This is the girl who just 2 weeks ago slept at her cousins’ place for the first time. She’s been spending lots of time with my mother, but was too nervous to sleep at my sister’s house until now.
So that’s it, then. She’ll be moving out this summer, getting a job, getting married, having kids. At least that’s what it feels like. How can the time go so quickly when it comes to her, yet I feel like I haven’t aged at all? I don’t feel fundamentally different – or older – than I did in my mid 20’s. And I’m a little older than that now. Just a little. Not much, mind you, but a tad. A smidge.
