Going through a teen life crisis
A few days ago my friend Ray called me up and brought to my attention that in a few weeks he and I were going to be father's of teen aged daughters. Not that I needed any more worries on my plate right now. Thanks Ray!
Seriously, I have given it a bit of thought over the last few months. My daughter Sarah, my first born, will be turning 13 in just a few weeks (April 2, if you want to send cash and prizes). Ray's daughter Kayla will be turning 13 on April 19 (or is the April 16? I always forget). So in just a few short weeks I am going to have a teen aged daughter.
And about fifteen months and a few short weeks from now I will have a second teen aged daughter. And frankly I am overwhelmed by it.
I have been looking forward to this time. I have dreamed of what it would be like to welcome my daughter into young adulthood, into an age of maturity, into the "teens". But then I realized that for the most part, 13 is just a number.
Yes, it is a meaningful number. Most kids consider 13 to be a huge milestone in their young lives. I did. I remember turning 13 and thinking to myself "I'm a man now. Awesome.". But to be honest, from that point on I can remember very little about being 13 or even being a teenager for that matter.
But I so want something special for my daughter. I want her to have a grand welcome party into teenhood. I want her to have a 13th birthday to remember. I want her to know that I feel as crazy about this as she does. Because I do. It is huge. For her, and for me, too.
I am not sure still what I am going to do. But I do know that I am going to stop sweating this whole "coming of age" bit and just continue to enjoy my children and the days of their youth. 13 has come so quickly that I can hardly remember the past 12. And I still have four more 13's to experience. So I think that this 13, the first 13, will be a bit of a special 13 for me.
And I am sure it will be for Sarah as well.
