Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Before I was mommy, I was stepmommy

In an uncharacteristically sappy moment, I must share.  My dear, sweet teenage stepdaughter turns 16 years old today.  No seriously, "dear" and "sweet" are not euphemisms for "miserable" and "rotten," nor are they code for "find a way not to let your own child reach his or her teens."  She really is an absolutely wonderful girl.  I had no idea that this (a not miserable female teenager) could exist.

Years before I had children of my own to push around, I found myself meandering through a situation that even the most centered of actual adults struggle to handle.  Yet somehow, between a rocky beginning (because how could it be anything else?) and my internet declaration of joy at her reaching such a milestone, we have forged what I dare say is a pretty incredible bond.

I remember K completely ignoring me the first time I saw her.  She knew who I was and she knew why I was there, but I don't think she was ready yet.  She walked right past me, skipped up the stairs and she was gone.  Just like that.  It was hours before she sat me down and schooled me in Sudoku.  I have been learning from this child ever since.  Two years later, when I married her dad, I promised some things that I wish I could remember and she wishes she had understood through my crying, but I meant every word of it, I'm sure.  A year after that my first child was born and while it was a HUGE adjustment for all of us, it has done the most amazing thing for K and I.  It has brought us closer and changed us in ways I couldn't have expected and wouldn't have dared hope for.  If my daughter follows in her big sister's footsteps, I will be one proud mama bear.

K, you are, without a doubt, the most wonderful 16 year old I have ever known (and when I was 16, I knew a lot of 16 year olds).  You have brought a depth to my life that I can't imagine living without.  No matter where life leads us both, I know that we will always share something that is special and reserved only for us.  I look forward to sharing all of your milestones with you - graduation, college, wedding and marriage, and someday your own children, perhaps.  I hope you have a magical year and a magical life.  I can't wait to be there with you.

1 comment:

  1. Oh this made me get all teary! K is really an amazing young woman. If we ever have kids, I can only hope they turn out like her.

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