DON'T YOU DARE . . . TURN AROUND ;)

I was going shopping today so I took Julie with me and bought her some clothes for college. We figured it out and she has less than 8 weeks until she starts. Yikes! That isn't very much time to accomplish all she has left to do. I sure hope she can get everything done in time!

My job isn't hard--I just have to remind her of all the stuff she has to do (which, unfortunately, really annoys her.) Sorry honey. :(

She doesn't believe it, but, I am actually NOT trying to annoy her. Having worked on a college campus (in fact--the very one she is going to) for twenty years and been directly involved with freshman and freshman orientation for most of those years, I do actually know what is going on--and a lot of what she needs to prepare for. However, I am beginning to realize I just play the mom in this scene and she plays the teenager. I have no other value . . . which is hard when I know I have all kinds of answers and assistance inside me if she only wanted them.

It's hard to get used to the idea that children believe their parents know next to nothing. Of course, it's also hard to get used to the idea that teenagers believe they know everything--especially when it's not our brains that have changed. ;) But I guess as parents we get to deal with this "Know it all/I have all the answers/I don't need you anymore" stage at about age 5 or 6 and again when they hit 13 and then again at age 18. Will someone remind me when is it we get really smart again? Isn't it when they hit thirty or thirty five? Because I am just certain I am way overdue for some of that "getting really smart again" stuff"! If I took a couple of my kids and added their ages together I could get there!

Seriously though, what happens to our cute, cuddly kids?! One day all they want to do is have you hold them and hug them and the next they are just way too grown up! Oh yah, someone wrote a song about this didn't they . . .

Where are you going, my little one, little one
Where are you going, my baby, my own?
Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four
Turn around and you're a young girl going out of my door

Turn around, turn around
Turn around and you're a young girl going out of my door

Where are you going, my little one, little one
Little dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone?
Turn around and you're tiny, turn around and you're grown
Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own

Turn around, turn around
Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own

Turn around, turn around
Turn around and you're the young girl going out of the door

Where are you going, my little one, little one
Where are you going, my baby, my own?