My daughter is 14 and when I look at her I am worried.
Why? Because I remember what 14 is like.....the memory of my first boyfriend tops my concerns it went something like this...
"I said a hip-hop ,a hippity the hop, a hip hip hoppin you don't stop rockin to rhythm of the boogie to the beat" was playing on my stereo in my pink bedroom with Shawn Cassidy posters, and swim team ribbons on the wall. Furnishings courtesy of Sears catalog. My best friend Shelly was in the white and blue bathroom feathering her hair. I was standing in a towel with WAY to much eyeliner on trying to decide which pair of painters pants to wear. I went with the yellow painters pants with a purple and yellow smock top. I doused myself with perfume from Key Rexall Drug..it was called "Touche" and went into the bathroom to feather my hair and apply Bonnie Bell lip-gloss.
Tonight was the big dance at Oakdale Park. It was an end of summer celebration with the kids from both High Schools...South and Central...as well as the Catholic school Sacred Heart.
I was going to be a Freshman in High School in a couple of weeks. Needless to say I knew it all.....I had a car for God's sake...well use of a car . Yes...at age fourteen I was already "world weary" from all my expertise.
Shelly , my cousin Gracie, Kim, Darcy, Linda, Sophie, Jill and I all arrived to Oakdale Park in my Grandma Tula's white cougar with gold trim. Seat belts were not the thing back then...the thing was to cram as many people into a car as possible. It was a hot muggy Midwestern night. The mosquitoes were devouring my shiny teenage skin. My hair got a little moist from the air but it all moved in one piece...thanks to Aqua Net.
As we walked toward the outside dance floor ( an ice-skating rink in the winter) my heart started pounding. High School boys.....I'VE ARRIVED.
38 Special, Triumph, April Wine, REO Speedwagon they all blared out of the DJ's cheap speakers. I saw my friend Chris, his brother Curt and...OH MY GOD JEFF .
Jeff was 15 year old perfection. Tall, slim, green eyes, wearing a pink IZOD and 501's. He had a tiny scar by his left eye from a baseball injury..... I found this very hot. I was mesmorized by Jeff...older man...he was going to be a sophomore.
He was a funny , cute, injured athlete...talking to me.!!!
The song "Remenicising" came on...a slow dance. I didn't dare move. Would he ask me to dance?
He did. We danced two songs and Jeff moved his hand from my shoulders to my waist, to my butt. And it was then there that I knew I would someday be "Mrs. Jeff"
Well, I didn't marry Jeff ...in fact I haven't seen him since my freshamn year of college. But he left his mark on me. The mark of young first love.
Thank God the mark Jeff left leaves me smiling instead of scared inside.
But that is the worry. Which is why I absolutely forbid my daughter to listen to eighties music...Too dangerous.
Aqua Net and Bonnie Bell lip-gloss also too dangerous.
Two weeks ago I took my fifteen year old daughter to Rome , Italy. ......it was an amazing trip.....hold on I need a better adjective here......it was a amazing trip. It was six full days of just hanging with my little princess.....the sistene chapel, the colliseum, the Spanish steps, trevi fountain, shopping, and tons of pizza. But the best part of those six days was what I learned. Sure I learned about Roman art and arcitecture...that was nice. But I REALLY LEARNED.....from my daughter. I learned what a beautiful spirit she has, I learned how easy going she is, I learned how compassionate thoughtful and totally kind she is, I learned forgivness.....maybe I haven't been a total failure up as a mother....eggh probably have been. I learned what a "perfect day is"......a perfect day is hanging out with someone you love and catching a glimpse of their soul and all the potential that it holds. Both Courtney and I threw coins into the Trevi Fountain to make a wish. My wish is that I can continue learning from my kids......her wish...hmm...she probably wished she could drink wine in the states.....or that her mom wasn't such a weirdo.
