Seven or 8 years ago I was walking down the hall with a coworker. Emma and Lexi would have been about 1 and 3. My coworker had young teenagers at the time and I admitted that having older kids frightened me—I wished mine would stay young. She said, “Oh, but they’re fun. It’s fun to watch their personalities and opinions come out and watch them become their own little person.” I nodded but thought, no really, I like mine small.
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One of my first career aspirations was to be a 4th grade teacher. I loved my 4th grade year and always thought 4th graders were the best. They weren’t new to elementary school so they held some confidence but they weren’t the over-confident 5th graders ready to move on to middle school and crushes.
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When Scott and I were first married, we helped out with our AWANA program at church. I worked with the 1st and 2nd grade kids for awhile and then settled into 3rd and 4th grade girls. I loved my girls. They loved pens and notebooks and most importantly, their teacher *ahem*. They aimed to please and we had a really fun time together.
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All that said, it shouldn’t have surprised me that this past year with Emma has been the best. I love my daughter no matter what, but there’s something about this age that, as a mother, fits me like a glove. Emma isn’t perfect and sure, that personality coming out can be a bear sometimes and we’ve had unexplained tears already but overall? It’s been the best.
She’s old enough to take care of herself but young enough to still want me by her side while she plays school—where she’s practicing to be an elementary school teacher.
She loves it when we lie together at night and read. We both hold up our books with our right hands and pick at our lips—hers a xerox copy of mine–with our left.
We have dance parties and she talks about how that boy looked at her at school today and then plays American girl for the afternoon.
She sits in my lap and we play computer games together. We high-five when we score well and complain when we don’t.
She invites her friends over often and it’s just as fun for me as it is her. We both miss them if they don’t come over for too long.
I overhear her mimic me and tell Lexi that something she said wasn’t polite or she nearly cries at a hurt animal.
She has fierce opinions about fashion (mainly ones that don’t match well) but doesn’t care much yet if her hair gets brushed.
This year has just been downright fun with her and I realize my coworker was right all along. I can’t even bemoan another birthday is here today because it’s nothing but a joy to watch her grow. Maybe in a few years I’ll be wishing she was little again but for this year? We’re having too much fun to think of it.
Happy Birthday to my Emma Grace. Eleven is heaven!