Beautiful Daughter Turns 18
On this date 18 years ago I gave birth to my first child. My life changed that day. All because of a her. For 18 years, I have had the honor of learning exactly what it means to love. She has been my teacher. I joke at times that the child I brought home from the hospital cannot possibly be mine as she is too beautiful, too smart, too compassionate, too everything to truly be mine. I am constantly in awe of her. Those who come to know her see what I see and tell my what a great job I've done raising her. I cannot take the credit. She is who she is and has always been what she is all on her own. I was just the lucky one who was entrusted with her care 18 years ago.
Now, at 18, she is readying herself to go it alone after graduating from high school. She will attend college, though we are not sure where yet. She has been accepted into a couple of schools, but having always thought she would spend her first two years at the college where I teach since her tuition is free, I do not have enough for her to go where she really wants to go. She's been offered a scholarship to a private college not far from home, and I'm taking an overload this semester to make some extra money. I will also teach during the summer to make a bit more. The hope is the extra money will go into a savings account and be applied to her first year at the private college, reducing the amount we might have to take out in loans. She, too, will work this summer and save all her earnings to apply towards school.
This past week I kept in touch with her best friend via texting to plan a surprise party for her. We actually pulled it off. Last evening, after sending my daughter off to the store for bread, her friends came over, parking down the street so she didn't notice their cars when she returned. We gathered in the dining room, the lights off, and waited for her. When she walked through the door, her friends jumped out, yelling happy birthday. The smile on my daughter's face couldn't have been bigger. She acknowledged all of her friends then turned to me and said, "Nice job, Mama."
Now, at 18, she is readying herself to go it alone after graduating from high school. She will attend college, though we are not sure where yet. She has been accepted into a couple of schools, but having always thought she would spend her first two years at the college where I teach since her tuition is free, I do not have enough for her to go where she really wants to go. She's been offered a scholarship to a private college not far from home, and I'm taking an overload this semester to make some extra money. I will also teach during the summer to make a bit more. The hope is the extra money will go into a savings account and be applied to her first year at the private college, reducing the amount we might have to take out in loans. She, too, will work this summer and save all her earnings to apply towards school.
This past week I kept in touch with her best friend via texting to plan a surprise party for her. We actually pulled it off. Last evening, after sending my daughter off to the store for bread, her friends came over, parking down the street so she didn't notice their cars when she returned. We gathered in the dining room, the lights off, and waited for her. When she walked through the door, her friends jumped out, yelling happy birthday. The smile on my daughter's face couldn't have been bigger. She acknowledged all of her friends then turned to me and said, "Nice job, Mama."
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