I am now the mother of a teenager

The first week of school is over. The hectic month of August is over. Time to get back to writing.

Within the past month, I have become the mother of a teenager. Logically and physically I know how this event has happened, but mentally I can't understand it. I'm not suppose to have a teenager. I know this sounds really odd, coming from someone who didn't have children until she was in her thirties. I still like to think I can act like I did when I was in college. How can I possibly have a child old enough to be a teenager?

Thirteen years passed along quickly. It seems like just yesterday that we took her to Disney for the first time. She was 2. She was short, really thin and still was shaky when she walked. Today she is over five feet, really thin and has legs that seem to move at one pace, a run. The child doesn't just walk into a room. She bounds into a room, much like Kramer on Seinfeld.

I was hit with a double whammy this month. My youngest daughter, Jane, is no longer a little kid. When I went to sign her up for park district classes, I noticed that she now part of that intermediate level between kid and teen. I'm told she isn't a tween until she hits 10, but all the park district classes begin new age ranges at 9. I don't even have a little kid at home.

I am fortunate that my daughters are good kids, smart and creative. I thank God for them every night. I just hope that I can help them grow up to become good, intelligent and creative adults.