Sunday, August 10, 2008

Growing up too fast


I was reading one of my favorite blogs yesterday(iambossy.com)she is great BTW, be sure to check her out and she has a section labeled "favorite things". Her most recent favorite thing had to do with the stage her daughter is in right now, perched precariously between little girl and teen.

Lindsey is so in this exact same place right now, hovering between those two worlds. She is getting ready to start middle school in a few weeks and watching her slowly emerge from and retreat back into the cocoon of childhood in the the wide world of adolescence is something. She carries a purse now, but it is mostly filled with Pokemon cards and candy- gotta love that. As I watched her teetering off and tripping in her new, grown-up wedge heeled sandals to chase her brother up a tree after church, it seemed to be such a clear illustration of the threshold she is on. The other day, she played Polly Pockets in her room for half the day. Maybe she too, is aware of the changes coming all too soon and was stealing a few moments while she can, to hold on to the little girl she is about to leave behind.

I hope more than anything that she never let's go of those little girl qualities I admire so much in her like, optimism, trust, confidence, honesty. The transition can be hard as I recall. I know it was a painful one for me as I vividly remember being thrust into a world where my peers and myself were all of a sudden self-conscious for the first time, trying to fit in, more concerned about appearing "cool" than anything else and suddenly and unexpectedly feeling pressured to shed any traces of our little girl selves.

I think she will thrive. I know she will. She has always been sure of her self and unafraid of being different and setting her own course. As she teeters off to adolescence in her grown up shoes, I pray with all my might that she always has candy in her purse to help sweeten the inevitable sour notes that will accompany her from time to time on her journey. I will of course, be ready and willing to scoop her up and kiss her boo-boos if she will let me. Oh man do I hope she lets me.

4 comments:

Kat Rose said...

Hey Lusk family! Kat and I (Jenny Thomas/Haroldsen) saw your comment on her blog today and were thrilled to see you all have a blog. Kat's in between moves right now so she is internetless. (Although I did add your link to Kat's blog for her)But, I just had to leave a comment.
I CAN NOT believe how old your kids are. Holy cow!!! So beautiful and full of personality. That's not surprising at all though coming from you all.
It was so fun to see and hear a little of what your family has been up to. I hope you don't mind me adding you to our family's links.
Take care, Jenny

The Thomas Family said...

Oops I guess I was still signed in under Kat's name. That last comment really was from me. (Jenny)
Hers'our blog if your interested.

Manama mama said...

Hi Margie--O.K., this one had me tearing up a little-- I have a middle schooler too this year! So hard to see them start off into the world! But I guess you really wouldn't want them to be 45 and living off cheetos and x-box in your basement, right?? Hopefully we can talk soon! Love you! Laura

steenky bee said...

I love the idea of carrying candy in my purse to keep me innocent. How sweet is that? She's starting an exciting yet scary time in her life right now. She's lucky you are aware of it and embrace both sides of where she is. I'm going out tomorrow to buy some candy for my purse!