I’ve mentioned this before, but our views about spirituality and higher powers around here are probably not quite the same as they are for you. I don’t want to digress too far in my first paragraph but as long as your beliefs don’t condone or encourage treating others poorly I’m content to agree to disagree and wish you peace and comfort.
We do celebrate Easter. I appreciate its importance to Christianity and discuss that with my daughter while also acknowledging its pagan origins and the way the two have been combined into what it’s now become to most people. Honestly, for us, it’s mainly an excuse for the family to all get together and enjoy a meal, something that doesn’t happen as much as it probably should.
It’s also about candy, either hidden in eggs or as part of a basket of goodies delivered by a large, fictional bunny.
Who she actually thinks hid those eggs or put together her basket is a mystery to me. I honestly have no idea about what she still believes in and no idea how to find out without wrecking her ideas about all the other made up gift givers . It seems like she should be old enough to have some serious skepticism about the idea of an elf that only pretends to be a stuffed toy to spy on her for Santa but there are a lot of things that I have been told I’m too old for that I don’t plan on changing anytime soon so who am I to judge?
The truth is that she and her friends are at a really weird in-between age. They don’t all know the truth about the Tooth Fairy but they’ve all had the talk about puberty and periods. My daughter wore a bra to a LOL Surprise themed birthday party this weekend. She still sleeps with a bed full of stuffies but didn’t need to take one with her to the sleepover. If the skate park has too many teenagers hanging around she’s still content to go across the parking lot and chase younger kids around the swing sets and slides but she’d never ask to be brought to the park for that purpose.
It’s an awkward time in her life that’s, unfortunately, a prelude to even more awkwardness. She’s had her first pimple, has made applying deodorant a part of her morning routine and I’m convinced that once a month we have a few days of extra emotions.
It’s also a fun age. She’s old enough to entertain herself but still likes hanging out with me. Her social life is busier than mine but if she misses a play date because I wanted her to go mountain biking or kayaking with me she probably won’t know it. She’s still maddeningly disinterested in Star Wars but when we watch a movie or television show together now it’s actually something that we both enjoy. If that’s partly because my interests are still similar to what they were when I was her age that is besides the point.
I hope it lasts, that my teenage daughter will be as ridiculous and easy-going as she is now as a pre-teen. I hope that she retains her try- anything- once attitude and remains seemingly oblivious about what anybody else might think about her.
I hope that she still wants to watch cartoons with me.
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Previously Published on thirstydaddy.com and is republished on Medium.
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