She's not a baby anymore

I am the mother of a jr. high age kid. This is taking some getting used to! And no, it is not just because I am getting old; I'm NOT! Ok, I'm getting closer to being 40 than to 30, but that really isn't the problem. The issue at hand is, my daughter is old enough to be in junior high.

Now, you have to understand; I had four children in five years and I've been pregnant 10 times in the last 12 years. So, I've spent lots of time being pregnant and holding babies. I remember clearly the struggle of getting out of the house when I had to buckle four kids into carseats and make sure I had diapers and changes of clothes for at least two of those kids! It hasn't been that long since I could go nowhere without taking into consideration the needs and challenges of my large young family.

But, I no longer have only, or even mostly, young children! It is strange; nice - I'm really enjoying this change, but it is kind of strange. My oldest daughter can babysit, and she does a good job. I can trust her to manage portions of my job, quite successfully. She is still very much a child, and I'm not expecting her to be all grown up now. Quite the contrary, I'm enjoying this stage of her childhood very much. But, with the new pleasure of having a daughter who is old enough to babysit and bear more responsilibity is the challenge of having that same child go to youth group and do the "young adult" thing! This is just so strange. I have to change my mindset! Hopefully she doesn't mind that deep down inside, I'm really just an overgrown teenager and plan to share this adventure she is embarking on! Because, like it or not, we're both in for a wild ride. I guess I better hang on tight, too, since this adventure isn't going to be over for a long time.