Party Girl
Last night my daughter had her 7th birthday party
at our house. She chose a mermaid theme,
invited her closest friends and we ordered pizza. Her brothers had left to go for a sleepover
at their grandparent’s house so she was feeling very special and very excited
for her girl time not only with her friends, but I would learn as the night
went on, to have her girl time with me.
It was this comment that stuck with me, stopped me from what
I was doing and made my heart leap. She
is seven. This age might not seem old
but it is. I can remember the day she
was born…ginger hair, bright eyes and lovely long fingers that looked like she
had already been to the nail salon. She
was such a good baby and it went by in a blink.
I can remember her wanting to be where her older brother was all the
time and crawling with the speed of light to get there. She loves to hear that even when she knew how
to walk, if she wanted to get somewhere fast she would drop to all fours and
streak over to her destination.
When it came time to go off to school she was so excited to
make her little friends and play with other little girls. It always impressed me that while she was
devoted to her brothers she always knew how to rock a princess costume while
drawing a hot pink mermaid…a true renaissance girl. And she has remained so to this day. While her room is a blazing shade of pink and
covered in posters of fairies, mermaids and every Disney princess you can
imagine, her bookcase is also littered with books about sharks, alligators and
Greek Mythology. I know I am her
mother. I know I am biased. But I have always found her to be a very
interesting person. I have always felt
very blessed to have her as my daughter.
I am not sure why I was so stopped by her comment about
spending time with me, having me at her party.
I had asked her if she wanted me to be scarce while she and her friends
were eating and, without missing a beat, told me no. Told me I had to be at the table eating with
the girls…that I am one of her girls. It was this comment that I will take with me
as I know that there will come a day, maybe soon, that I will not be required
company at the table when her friends are over.
She will have her own personal life with her friends and a mother’s
presence might not always be top on her list.
And that’s okay.
As a kid, even when I was on my own hanging out with my
friends, I always knew that my mom was around.
That I could find her, talk to her,
ask her things or simply just be in her presence and it made me feel
better. That is really my goal for being
a mother. I am not after having the
smartest or most gifted kids who are driven by my goals, anxieties or
ambitions. Rather to have kids who are
interested in lots of different things and confident enough to follow those
interests and see where they go. To have
a sense of humor about life and realize how lucky they are to have a family and
friends. To keep life’s pleasures simple
and avoid the trappings of what someone else wants them to be. To be true to themselves.
After the party was over and she was ready for bed (in her
new mermaid nightgown), she thanked me for the party and said it was the best
birthday she would ever have. She had
all her favorite things and that seven was going to be a great year. She’s right.
Seven is going to be a great year.
And I am so glad to be a part of it.
I am so glad to watch her play, and grow, and learn. I am so glad to be one of her girls.
