12.14.2008

Faith, Hope, and Love... The Greatest of These is Hope


Hope is 14... yes, 14. I have a 14 year old daughter. I was a piece of work when I was 14, thank God my daughter is so much better than I ever was.
The other day I had to let Carl know that Hope was planning a party for her Birthday... here is our conversation .

Carl: I can't talk-only have 5 minutes so just give me the bullets (who says romance is dead?)



Me: Let's see... kids are good, I am fine, your mother is out on bail, my parents won the lottery, oh, and Hope is having a boy/girl party for her birthday. Did you hear me when I said your mom was out on bail?



Carl: (sounds like gun shots in the background) Stop. Back up. What is this about a boy/girl party?



Me: Were those gun shots I just heard?????



Carl: No, I was just popping some bubble wrap from a package you so loving sent to me because you are the best wife on the planet. (those are his exact words-I swear)



Me: Yes, Hope is having a boy/girl party... complete with pizza, music, giggling girls and 8th grade boys.



Carl: Let me call you back on the secure line...

I can't tell you what we talked about on the secure line well, because it was secure... but I will tell you this, my husband is having a hard time with his little girl growing up, and I had to hire a off-duty police officer for the party to stand guard and watch over 10 little teenagers who I assume are innocent, but my husband claims are anything BUT innocent.

When did this happen? Just last week she was picking her nose and eating the boogers... just last week she was asking me to read her "anuder" book before bed... just last week she had braces and glasses and non-highlighted hair... just last week she was still wearing the clothes that I bought for her at OshKosh B'Gosh and Carters... just last week she thought that her little brother was a wonderful playmate and she even hugged and kissed him every chance she could.. just last week she didn't roll her eyes at me and think that I was in dire need of a make over.

I cannot tell you how much I love this child-words cannot express the feelings my heart gets when I see her smile or laugh. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know and to say that Hope is brave is putting it lightly. She thinks of others first, as in, "I didn't want to eat the last cookie because I knew baby Mary would want it." or "I have $5 left on my Starbucks gift card, can I take Emma across the street so that I can get her that strawberry smoothie that she loves?"

I have looked past the fact that she has a journal and writes mean things about me from time to time... but that is what a 14 year old girl is supposed to do right? And if I ever let her know that I know about the journal, she won't have an outlet for all of those "My mother is so unfair!!!" moments, because the moments where she sits at the kitchen table and tells me all about her friends and her dreams and even who she thinks is cute but would never let them know, completely outweighs any "My mother is the enemy" entries in her journal.



Any mother would be so lucky to have a Hope like mine.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post. That song always makes me cry! Hope's lucky to have a mom like you. :)

Colleen said...

Happy Birthday Hope! You give me great hope in knowing a 14 year old can turn out quite nicely!! (I still have 13 years to worry about that, though!)

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Hope....remember cherish these days for they are the best you are given!

CI-Roller Dude said...

When my boys were growing up, I was always afraid that they would do some of the crap I did...They did...but one of them got caught...a few times...took him years to grow up.
I have the following suggestion:
1.) When all boys or girls reach about 13 or 14, send them away to a military boarding school.
2.) While they are gone, turn their rooms into an office or rent them out.
3.) don't let them come home, except of for one or two holidays until they are 24....joining the military is a good idea also.

Write this down so you don't forget it.
-D

TWM said...

Pretty like her mom.

And so much more mature than my 13 year old son which means it's not the 8th grade boys you have to worry about. It's the 10th graders and above.

Anonymous said...

You read her journal?????
Bad Mommy!

Anonymous said...

Lovely post and lovely daughter. I get the feeling that you are as gifted a mother as you are a field general June. (And, for a change, I am NOT being sarcastic).

I hope you guys enjoy the teen age years. Seems like yesterday that my Sara was 14, and now she's an all-grown-up 19 year old, who delights her dad every day. I know that a lot parents hate the teens, but for me and Sara it was a great time. (But for Sara and her mom, not so much - but they're cool now).

Cheers!

Rich

Unknown said...

Happy birthday Hope! She is a beautiful young lady. :)

Anonymous said...

Journal reading... Damn skippy June. Kudos to you.

I have a 5 year old -- a little I Love Lucy -- screwball in the greatest sense of that. Your post gives me "hope" that raising a girl into a nice young lady is not impossible -- though I have guns for the boys -- perhaps not the arsenal of Carl, but enough to ensure gentlemanly behavior when that times comes.

Anonymous said...

I figure that if I do really well with the first one... she can help when the ones picking up the rear get out of hand. There is nothing better than a good example to follow.

I once heard my mother tell someone that we all (meaning my older sister and I) had a part in raising the youngest sister... I believe that to be true, although, my older sister instilled morals and values in her, I taught her how to drink her way through the alphabet.

:)

Anonymous said...

June I was the youngest of nine and two of my older sisters can say the same thing...they taught me to drink through the Alphabet, the Wisconsin way....ohhh what memories....

Stupid Fat Hobbit said...

There's the June I know and love. Happy Birthday Hope. I'm sure the party will be/was fun.

June, Becka turned 13 last week and had an 'accidental' boy/girl party. Okay, I told her she could invite all of the girls to come back to the house and then the parents could pick up the non-sleepovers from here because the party was at Laser Tag. Becka invited EVERYONE back to the house. Let me just say this, remove any BOTTLES that might be lying around that they could get ahold of. Not that anyone was playing spin the bottle at Becka's party (at least not after the first spin) but I'm just saying...

Anonymous said...

Hobbit, I did walk down the stairs at one point and all of the lights were out... their excuse:they were playing cell phone light tag. Suuuuuuuure, and I was never a teenager.

Pffft, my children will never, I repeat NEVER be able to get away with anything.

Ashley said...

Hahah aww this is such a sweet post. Happy Birthday to Hope!

Kathleen's world said...

Oh my Lord. I remember when WE were 14. I'll say some prayers for you! (And is it even possible that you have 14-year-old offspring?!? What the heck have I been doing with my life?)