I love this girl. There is something absolutely delicious about the eight-year-old girl who is still sufficiently in love with the princess as to not care about whether the pink and zebra print tutu properly matches the red sunglasses and black and green flip flop crocs when she goes for the anticipated evening dog walk with her mother.
May this continue for a long while.
I am reading The Mother-Daughter Project, by SuEllen Hamkins and Renee Schultz, about a program (if you will) with the aim of keeping mothers and daughters connected through the turbulence of adolescence.
Originally, I had planned on doing Girl Scouts together, but, for a variety of reasons, it clearly was not meant to be. So, I asked our Pastor and the Director of Children and Family Ministry if I could start up Roots and Shoots. They both said that could work, but. . . did I know that there was someone interested in starting up a Mother-Daughter group? Looking into the program, I decided that this was what I wanted for Lauren and for me as an aid to keeping our relationship connected (for better or for worse) during the difficult times that will come.
I know those times will come. I don't delude myself one second that just because of my profession, I/we will be spared. If anything, I think that psychologist's kids have the same reputation as the minister's child. I hope, however, that if we can stay connected, we can at least have the relationship through which to work through the hard stuff. More than anything, I always want her to deeply know of my love for her and my desire to be there for her no matter what she brings to the table.
In the meantime, Lauren and I have developed a routine that I love (love, love, love): we walk Sandy together in the evenings. Sometimes Jonathan comes and sometimes Jonathan and Eric come, but it is always OUR walk.
a puppy and a girl in a pink and zebra print tutu.
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