Happy Birthday, Blossom

My baby girl is 13 years old now.

I am a so proud of the wonderful teen girl she has become. She is brave, and kind-hearted, and has enough love to fill the world. She loathes injustice and is not shy about vociferously defending that which she thinks is right. She will stand up to bullies on behalf of strangers she doesn’t know. Better yet, she’ll stand up to people who are part of her friend group if she thinks they are being cruel to another kid.

I cannot tell you how much this pleases me. Frankly, it also scares me, because she is already at risk of being bullied, and her honorable conduct may paint a bigger target on her back. However, if I have to chose between a daughter who stands up for what’s right and suffers for it, or a daughter who sits down because it is easier for her … I’m glad of the daughter I have.

But I am also freaking out because she is officially a teenager. How in the hell did that happen so quickly? I swear she just had her FIRST birthday a few weeks ago … now she’s taller than me. Ack!

We are currently helping her pick out her classes for her GCSEs, part of the secondary school system here in Wales. It is a bit like the ‘elective’ classes we picked in high school at the same age in America. I distinctly remember talking one of my best friends, Rachel, into taking journalism with me. Now, I am helping my daughter select the courses she wants.

Wait, what?

Anyway, Blossom wants to either be an actress, a teacher, or a graphic design artist, so her electives are drama, media studies, graphic design, and French. The main reason she is taking French is because she is excellent in it. She is great at languages in general. Baby Einstein Language Nursery For The Win!

Happy Birthday Blossom. I am sure you will do wonderfully well in all your classes – mandatory or elective. After all, you ARE fabulous.