Piercing Sentimentality

Lets try this again! I had it typed and lost it :-( But it is a must-share!

My oldest daughter turned 11 today. I took her to get her ears pierced! We had told her a few years ago when she was in public school that she could get her ears pierced on the birthday before she started middle school (which would have been this fall if she were not homeschooled).

So there I stood, in the middle of Claire's Boutique, growing misty eyed as my "little" girl looked more like a young lady sitting there in the piercing chair, clinging to bravery (in the form of a black fuzzy teddy bear the store keeps for weary customers) and realizing what a momentous step this was... for both of us!

I have a 15 year old son, but girls are somewhat different then boys. I have had my misty eyed moments with him (and I am sure still more to come) but with my daughter those moments come at different times: Introducing training bras, dressing for a night at the playhouse, ear piercing!

You see, her ADHD and stubborn personality have made things somewhat difficult in our household. She doesn't mature developmentally at the same rate as most of her peers. She wants to, but her hyper-active tendencies make it difficult for her to achieve what her peers are able to do with ease. This includes acting "mature" when the situation calls for it.

For all her efforts she has hit that in-between age. Am I a "kid" or am I a "teen". I feel so sorry for her. I do not wish her to mature before her time, but it is also difficult to watch her body mature when her mind is still struggling and often left within child like concepts. I have prayed that God would bring her to the next steps in His time and in His way so that it might be a gentle change.

Today I felt that prayer was answered. For as she sat in that chair, child turning young lady, I realized a big step had been taken in this process we reluctantly refer to as "growing up". My throat chokes with pride and sentimental thoughts and, as we crossed the threshold from that store, I realized, with each stride and the proud posture of my daughter, we were stepping into a new phase. A pair of rainbow colored flower earrings and a day out, just mom and daughter, had ushered in the blossoming of maturity.