Babies growing up

What's on my mind this week is that little annoying growing up thing my kids keep doing. Yeah, I know, better than the alternative, but I do wish I could slow things down a bit. B just keeps growing out of clothes and is pretty independent now. And Ana asked me this week if she could start shaving. Yikes! I noticed her wearing leggings instead of shorts more this summer...well...that's why. She also lost her very last baby tooth last night. Yikes again! And she wants contacts. Did I say "Yikes!" yet?

Anyway, the shaving conversation is funny because every woman I know says that she wanted to shave long before her mother let her. And most of us stole our mom's razor and did it anyway. So I always swore that I would allow my daughter to shave whenever she wanted...I just didn't think it would be when she was 10. (Of course, since the memory is the first thing to go, I honestly cannot remember when I started shaving. That all seems a bit fuzzy to me now.)

Well, in response to all of this, I decided briefly last week that the thing to do was to have another baby. That lasted all of a day before my husband told me I was absolutely insane to think of having another kid now (turning 40 in a couple months and have long since given away all the baby gear). And then another friend aptly pointed out that a new baby would eventually grow up too. Thanks, guys. Last month, it was the doctors telling me I'm getting old. Now my best friends. Love you too. Mean it.

So, now I just need to embrace the idea of my daughter "blossoming" as they used to say. I have no idea how to teach someone how to shave. As we mentioned, I snuck and figured it out on my own. I certainly didn't have these kinds of experiences with my mom. Are you kidding? Supposedly you really grow only when forced out of your comfort zone. Well, I'm uncomfortable, so I guess I'm growing (or growing old, one or the other.)