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Sometimes it’s not just the two of us, sometimes we have the two younger ones with us, but a lot of the time it’s just the two of us. We seem to have this sort of standing date of chips and queso at Moe’s. I didn’t think we went there that often, except the guy at Moe’s has started to recognize us and we don’t even have to tell him our order anymore. Ooops. I’m going to assume it’s because we bypass the rest of the counter to go to the end where they have the chips and queso as to why he knows that and not because we’re in there all the time because honestly it’s barely even every week we go.
But whatever, there’s worse things in this world than the server at Moe’s recognizing us as the ladies who come in for chips and queso every week. And over the years my relationship with my oldest daughter has been a little strained I guess you could say. I always chalked it up to her being a lot like me, but you know what? I have been missing something here. Yeah, she’s similar to me, but she’s really not that much like me. She does have a lot of her dad in her with the wise cracks and sarcasm about her. The whole don’t give them a chance to hurt me attitude she has, totally her dad.
It has been very eye opening and wonderful “dating” my teenage daughter and getting acquainted with her and even showing her a different side of me from what she usually sees when I’m “Mom”. Of course I’m always Mom, but it’s just different. I can tell her all of the things I experienced when I was her age and how I handled crushes and heartbreak and even school.
Our relationship about her grades has even improved. We used to constantly fight about that, now we can discuss what’s going on in class and ways she can improve or even maintain what she’s doing. It’s not fighting anymore.
Now of course I’m still “Mom”. There are times she gets in trouble. There are times she still gets mad at me because she feels I’m treating her or one of her siblings unfairly, but it’s all par for the course.
We’re at the point in her life where I am really beginning to see the things I have been teaching her all these years sink in and she’s beginning to understand that sometimes I do know what I’m talking about. Sometimes people, not even close to all of the time, just sometimes. But I am finding these teen years (at least the 2 almost 3 of them I have seen) to not be so scary after all. It has been fun watching her grow and mature and I can really almost see the kind of adult she’s going to be and that’s someone I would most definitely want to be friends with.
Now, it’s time I start dating my preteen daughter a little more. I wonder what amazing and fun discoveries I can make about her along the way.
Do you make one on one time with your children a priority? If not, what are you waiting for?
