Adolescence in my Daughter's Eyes

This poem, composed by my daughter Alex, made me realize how grown up she is now and her awareness of the things and changes which are happening to her as she enters her teenage years.

While it is true that more often than not, we wished for her to grow up fast when she was still small whenever she pushed our patience to the limit, we loved her just the way she was then. She gave us great joy and pure happiness with just one smile. Her trust, her dependence and her love showed me and my husband our role in this world.

And now that she is of adolescent stage, she is in for a ride of a lifetime. It will be a bumpy ride. But if I know my daughter, it will just be like a roller coaster ride in a theme park. The fear and confusion is there, but so is the excitement and thrill of going through it.The physical changes she is going through, the emotional ups and downs, the behavioral changes, I know she noticed them in herself. And it gives me great comfort to know that her being aware makes it easier for her to deal with them and to come to us for answers and moral support. Even if she is ready, she also accepts that this is the time when she needs more for us to watch over her, to hang in there with her. And I wouldn't miss it for the world.

I know I will miss the years.We both will, my daughter and I. But if I have to go through it all again, I wouldn't change a thing. I'd raise her they way I did before, help her build her self-esteem, and to grow along with her.