A letter to my daughter on her 12th birthday

Dear Bria,

Today you are twelve years old. The past twelve years that have flown by way too fast, leaving me in blur of firsts; your first tooth, your first steps, your first music recital, your first loose tooth, your first day of school... Each one of your firsts was a first for me too and each one holds a place in my heart.

I don’t know if there’s a way I can begin to explain how special these years have been to me, how special you are to me. I am proud to see you become the young lady you’re becoming, so proud to watch you grow. I am proud to be your mother.

You won’t always agree with every decision your dad and I make for you, but know that they are made with love, and only the best of intentions. Try to be patient with us and we’ll try to be patient with you. You’ve never been a tween before, and I’ve never been the parent of a tween before. I'm sure it will be an adventure for the both of us. (Daddy too)

Know that even when we disagree, we will always love you. That nothing you can do will ever change that.

As time goes on you will have to make your own choices. Some of those choices will be good, others will be bad, and the consequences of those choices may last for years. Your dad and I will be there to help you make choices whenever you need us.

When you do make a bad choice, remember we are always there for you. We won’t protect you from the consequences, but we will be there to help you handle them. We love you and will always be there for you, even when you may not want us there.

My wish for you this year is to have fun. Watch goofy movies and stay up until the wee hours at sleepovers, sing out loud to the radio and dance in front of the mirror, get the giggles and poke fun at yourself. Soak up everything that 12 has to offer, thirteen will be here soon enough.


I love you, Kiddo.

how to embarass your pre-teen (repost)

I orignally posted this about a year ago, it didn't get a single comment. Since its one of my fav posts, so I'm recycling it...

My family has always told me that I like to stir the pot, my mother said that I would argue with my toes if they would argue back, so when my 10 year old clinched her fists and gave me a look that would send chills through the hearts of the faint, I sang even louder!

My daughter is an only child and sometimes I feel that she's not getting the proper razzing. (Anyone with siblings, knows what its like to be embarrassed.) I feel its my responsibility to teach her how to laugh at herself.




DISCLAIMER: My daughter and I are very close, she goes everywhere with me, and always has. I know her limits, and what is acceptable, I would never do anything malicious, cruel or hurtful, she knows my intentions, I only want to make her laugh, and she also knows that I am not laughing AT her, but WITH her.


So a few things I do to keep my tween on her toes:

1)when she's placing her order at McDonald's, unexpectedly tickle her a little,to throw off the straight face
2)when driving her and her friends anywhere, turn up the radio and sing along to that Justin Beiber tune, just make sure you're off key
3)when crossing a crowded parking lot, spread your arms like an airplane and run around in circles
4)take her to a restaurant that sings to you on your birthday, stand up and proudly sing along
5)use her family nickname when her friends come over (provided that nickname is not Stinky Pants or something of the like)
6)dedicate a blog entry to the art of embarrassing her
7)when dropping her off anywhere, ALWAYS insist on a hug or a kiss
8) when you're in the grocery store and a good song comes on, dance through the isles

Ok you get the idea. She doesn't always appreciate these things as they are happening, but I'm hoping she will look back on them as fond memories

Life is way to short not to laugh!

If you have anymore ideas, please post them below...