Baby Steps

Dear Alexis,

I don't write much about you in this space anymore because you're in the midst of the years that I think are the hardest of all of the years of life. Parenting might be hard, but I cried my way through sixth grade and being in that classroom is definitely harder.

Don't take that as a challenge. There's no need to show me that I can cry my way through the tween/teen years when I'm not the tween/teen. And don't start struggling yourself; that won't accomplish anything. Instead, you keep kicking butt and taking names and I'll keep being in awe of you and we'll all be happy. We just won't be publicly happy here because you've earned your right to have some privacy and such.

But, well, it has to be said - today you learned a very important lesson. Today was the day that you proved to yourself that, actually, you CAN break a rule. You CAN and you will and there is not a single thing adults can to convince you otherwise. We can't really stop you. Sure, we can dole out punishment and all of that, but we can't stop you.

Now that you know your power, I hope you will continue to use it wisely. I am WAY proud that you used it to, in your small way, cause a seismic shift in the universe. There is no doubt that thousands of other kids figured out that "they can't stop us" thing today too and you all figured it out in an incredibly powerful way.

The world will be changed because of y'all.

As I told you repeatedly the past couple of weeks, I had your back no matter what you did. You can't be stopped and the kids like you can't be stopped and the adults like me? We're here, watching your back.

Change the world, kid. It needs it.

Love ya,

Mom