12!!

MsA turned 12 yesterday! Just like that , in the blink of an eye, my firstborn is 12.. it feels so strange to say that.

She has been waiting eagerly for this day. All her friends are 12 already and she is the baby of the group, hence the eagerness to catch up.

What can I say about this freshly minted 12 year old? Let’s see.. she looks like me, although she fails to see the resemblance. She acts and thinks like her father . She even smiles like him- a quiet closed lip smile.

She is as sassy as they come – to the point that some days I have to tell her to watch her attitude and almost want to give her up. And then there are days, when she floors me with how understanding she is.

She wants to excel in everything that she does and gets upset when she hasn’t given her 100%. But when she has put her heart and soul into something and she doesn’t get the desired results ( for example – applying for school leadership) , she just accepts the results in a very zen-like manner. When she didn’t make it into the leadership team, she just smiled and told me, ” I can always try again next year.” She also very graciously congratulated her competitor and rejoiced in his victory. I hope and pray that she remains this grounded for the rest of her life.

She is foodie and loves her food. When someone asked her how her birthday was – she told them , ” It was nice. We went out for a nice breakfast, later we went to get some bubble tea & cupcakes and now we are out for dinner” 😀See what I mean?

For her birthday, she wanted to shop at a local store catering to teens/pre-teens/young adults. Her excitement was so priceless when I told her she could pick whatever she liked.

Parenting a tween has its ups and downs.. some days are like dark clouds and others are like rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes we are at loggerheads ( SP says it’s like living with two teenagers) and at others we just have to look at each other to know what the other is thinking. She still has this uncanny way of reading my deepest thoughts. I don’t know how she does it.

I could go on and on about my MsA, but I’ll stop here with this wish & a little note for MsA-

Dear MsA,

I am so proud to be your mum..today and everyday! You are a strong, resilient young lady and I wish your strength only grows, as does your kindness and generosity.

You are slowly growing into the woman I knew you’d become – loving, fierce, and ready to tackle everything that life throws your way.

I love it how you are willing to learn new things and have the go-getter attitude.. keep it up, my Sunshine!

I hope that you had a lovely birthday and will have an even nicer year to follow.

Love, mum ❤️