My daughter is now 13, and we’re dealing with a lot of the stuff that you deal with when a kid becomes a teenager. I’ve said to several people that it’s the first time that I really feel challenged as a parent.
Let me tell you something that’s hard – trying to make a parenting decision that…
- …you know in your heart is right.
- …isn’t necessarily supported by the other parent.
- …you don’t know if you have complete information.
- …is breaking your heart to make.
It’s not a hugely important decision, it’s just one that requires me to be the bad guy, a role I don’t enjoy with my daughter. I like our time together to be enjoyable. We have a good relationship, and I want to keep it that way. But I have to be consistent in setting expectations, and having consequences when those expectations are missed.
Can I be nostalgic for a minute? I miss the early years, when all I had to do was wipe away some tears. I miss when my explanations were all that she needed to feel confident that things were okay. I miss when the biggest problems we had were small problems. I miss when it wasn’t quite so obvious that she inherited both my academic smarts and my social awkwardness.
I now really get why people tell you to cherish those days. Not only do those days never come back, but you may never see that shiny new little person in all their glory ever again.
But today all I really want to do is read her a story and sing her to sleep.