Knitting. Yarn. Fiber artistry. More knitting. Nursing school. Hospice work. Death and the dying process. Phoenix Raven's. Knitting. Yarn. Oh, and Life As An Air Force Wife.
Published on October 17, 2006 By dharmagrl In Parenting

That's my daughter, Shea.  She's 14 today, and I'm marvelling at how time flies by....it seemed like just yesterday that she was in diapers. 

She's really something, is Shea.  She's on High Honor Roll at school; her lowest score on any test this quarter was 98%.  She regularly gets A+'s on her assignments and is incredibly disciplined about doing her homework.  I don't know where she gets it from; I'm not THAT organized or disciplined!

In the past year I've seen her really blossom and develop a strong sense of self.  She's discovered her conscience and is making decisions about things according to what it tells her - for example, she says that eating meat bothers her, so she's decided to stick to a vegetarian diet for now.  She's also discovered that expressing ones individuality through clothing and hairstyles can be a very liberating thing.  She's got a strong sense of style, but she's also got a strong sense of decorum.  She won't wear mini skirts or shorts, prefrring to sport capri pants and skirts that come to about an inch above her knee (and I can't tell you how thankful her dad and I are for that small mercy).

Happy Birthday, Shea.  Your dad and I are incredibly proud of you! 

 


Comments
on Oct 17, 2006

Stepford Child!

You have a great daughter there! Hope her Birthday is a great one!

on Oct 17, 2006
You must be a very good parent. I only hope that I can be a good parent to my children.
on Oct 17, 2006

You have a great daughter there! Hope her Birthday is a great one!

She IS pretty awesome.   I'll pass on your comment to her!

You must be a very good parent. I only hope that I can be a good parent to my children

Me?  A good parent?  HAAHHA!  I'm not laughing at you, Marty, I'm laughing because I don't consider myself a good parent.   I'm not a traditional parent, I guess.   I believe in exposing them to as many different things as possible and letting them make their own minds up about what's right and what isn't.  I'm not saying that I approve of 6 year olds seeing R rated movies, I think that things have to be introduced in an age appropriate manner, but I do believe that shielding them from things will only cause them to go and do/see things behind your back.  I'm the kind of parent who thinks that it's ok to eat cereal for supper sometimes and that pajamas are appropriate weekend attire. 

The best advice I can give you, Marty, is to love your kids with all your heart and let all of your decisions about how to parent them be guided by that love.  As long as you do that, you'll be a wonderful dad.

on Oct 17, 2006
As they grow and become self-thinking near adults, so they need you more and more. My adult children depend on us-- we've found that we are still very important to them. It's a great feeling. You can be proud of your little girl!
on Oct 17, 2006
Happy Birthday Shea! And congrats on all those As! Keep up the good work!
on Oct 17, 2006

As they grow and become self-thinking near adults, so they need you more and more. My adult children depend on us-- we've found that we are still very important to them. It's a great feeling

This is very true.  I know that my mum and dad are very important to me, even though I'm pushing 40.  I should imagine it's a wonderful feeling!

And congrats on all those As! Keep up the good work

I'll pass that on too!  She's a really good student; she's trying to dispel the myth that neo-punk kids are all dumb and undisciplined.  She may dress unusually (she gets that from me, lol), but she's no dummy!

on Oct 17, 2006
Happy Birthday to Shea, already an impressive individual.
on Oct 17, 2006
Happy Birthday to your daughter...you must be so proud of how well she is doing...as a student and and as a person. And it's cool to know that she and I share the same birthweek.
on Oct 18, 2006
I know that the best thing to do for your children is to treat them with as much respect as you can, and to trust them in their decisions. But it is important that you give them a good role to follow, and don't treat them any differently than you would like them to treat you. At least that is my opinion on how I should be raising my kids.
on Oct 20, 2006
Happy Birthday, Shea.