snap it 'admire'

Greetings all,

Snap It Wednesday is 'admire' & i couldn't think of anyone i admire more right now than my eldest daughter.  She was one of those 'wise' babies, who you could tell from birth she was a thinker.  Strangers would say "she's been here before", she is knowing.  

From the start, everything has been on her terms . . . putting me through 3 days of labour at 41+ weeks . . . she came out when she was ready (albeit with forceps!!)  A text book baby who fed, slept & rarely cried, she was a dream.  Always forward, she stood up & walked at 6 months, preferred to be under the water in the bath & climbed up bookcases.  As a toddler she was so bright & determined, yet couldn't express herself . . . tantrums ensued.  My darling girl thinks life is so hard as the first born, the parent breaker, however, she's a born leader & right where she's meant to be in the birth order.

I worked full time for the first couple of years of this young lady's life.  Her Nanny was a retired paediatric nurse, waiting for grandchildren.  To say Nanny Karen was a babysitting match & new-mother-role-model-made-in-heaven is an understatement.  Karen would give me daily reports every afternoon on what incredible feat my baby had performed or if she'd been to AA (Attitude Adjustment!!)   

She has always watched & absorbed every tiny detail of our life.  My husband deployed to war when she was just 10 weeks old, she knew he was going, i could feel how peaceful she was, as if to make my life easier.  I breastfed her to 18 months, made all her food & we read a mountain of books.  She was my buddy, i'd talk to her constantly & she chattered away in full sentences.  When she commenced Montessori preschool - they were astounded at her vocabulary & general knowledge.  Ok, she was one of those freaky toddlers who understood aerodynamics & spectrums . . . she skipped a year of primary school too.  It was just the two of us most of the time, i'd take her out to dinner, movies, shopping, she was my best friend & wonderful company.  Even when she locked me out of the house in skimpy jammies & i had to call the fire brigade to remove my front door, she was unfazed.  Going from year 6 with 20 girls to year 7 with 200 girls, no big deal.  Getting into the national athletics championships as a 12 year old . . . then told she couldn't attend as it was interstate & my husband was in Afghanistan . . . "that's Ok, maybe i'll get in again next year." I admire her relaxed, positive & accepting nature.  

 Now she's wrapping up year 8, i can't believe in just 4 years she'll be sitting her final exams & be ready for University.  OMG, she might want to leave home, gulp.  This year alone she's won academic prizes, was selected for an Australian Institute of Sport camp & has attended lots of parties.  She's not boy crazy, desperate to wear make up or pushing limits with inappropriate music, movies, clothes, language . . . yet almost everything is an argument - she is a teenager after all.  Handsome soldier has deployed to war five times in her short 13 years, she's a daddy's girl to the core, i think sometimes i annoy her just for being around.  I encourage her to communicate, even if it will hurt me, so i knowhow she feels.  The best advice i've ever heard, to say to a teenager who is in a mood, is "I love you, i'm here for you, when you are ready" then walk away & be ready for them, who knows what they might need from you - advice, time, cuddles - the simplest things can undo girls at this age.  It's a roller coaster ride.  I admire her honesty!!   

Teen years are not easy, i cruised through unscathed with fantastic friends, lots of sport & loving academics, but i hated my body changing, wondered if i'd ever get a boyfriend & i never felt pretty.  Puberty is still yet to strike my gorgeous girl, she's still petit & let's me guide her in clothing choices . . . like this sweet blue dress i picked up in Italy 2 years ago at Benetton.  For a super sporty girl, she'll still wear a dress out to dinner with the family & let me play with her hair.  

Right now, she's at school - i get little emails with links to quirky things she knows i will like - her wrist is in a splint after a heroic dive in Volleyball last night, possibly fractured.  I admire her bravery, tenacity & resilience.  I refuse to dread parenting teenagers, of course she could turn on me at any second & it takes more patience than dealing with a toddler tantrum.  But every child has to go through this so you may as well make it as positive as possible.  She's making the job pretty easy so far, very grateful for that as next time it's twins!!  Then a boy - i'll be completely clueless.
Thanks to Faith Hope & a Whole Lotta Love for this great topic today, love Posie