Lord Gonchar

I just want public record of the fact that today – December 2, 2009 – is the day the transition from little girl to total teenager has happened in our home.

Today in response to my making a joking comment about my daughter forgetting her band practice time sheet and signing it and handing it to her I was met with, “I know, daa-aaad!”

…and she said it in that tone of voice. (you have it in your head right now – and you’re spot on)

So I egged it on a little by questioning her lack of practice and got my first bit of real-world first-hand “teen logic” about how she needs this program for her computer that I’ve been dragging my feet on getting because she’s not sure if she’s hitting notes right and practicing wrong develops bad habits and wonk wonk wonk – essentially it was my fault she doesn’t practice enough. (not snotty about it, mind you, but definitely the twisted logic that we use with our parents at that age – and I’m sure it made perfect sense to her as she said it.)

Like I totally stepped out of body for the 45 seconds the whole conversation took and I could see the scene from above – a legit out of body experience! And I’m telling myself, “Holy shit! This is the moment. This is the first toe being dipped into the cold swimming pool. This is the beginning of the teen years coming on. At first it’s just a glimpse here and there. Then patterns develop. Then it’s more common than not. And before you know it – you have a fucking teenager.

It was truly a moment that made me both chuckle and feel a little sad at the same time.

I just want a written record of this moment. Definitely for posterity, but also so I can come back and read this a few years down the line when I can’t figure out why my kid seems to have gone totally nuts and does only things that makes me want to smack her upside the head.