When She's the One and Only

"How's your daughter?"

"She's amazing!" 

And then there it is. That completely empty, all too frequent, blank stare from the person asking the question. I am not one to lie so I don't fully understand the look.

I finally had to talk this one out with my best friend recently because it's become weird and uncomfortable for me. 

Listen, I know my daughter will be 13 this year and I get the concept that that's when girls are suppose to start being nightmares, but I'm sorry (??) mine isn't. Here's the thing, I truly believe that I was born to be a mother. I have poured everything I have had into raising my daughter into a good and decent human being. I worked hard to correct behavior, I spent nights crying over being the bad guy, and I've often wondered if what I am doing in the moment is the right thing when it's just me to make that call and I don't have any support. 

I remember a moment when she was about 2 or 3 and my mother said to me, "you're too hard on her and you expect too much from her". That moment sticks in my head because I couldn't understand what she meant by that. My face probably looked like that picture above. Did she mean that by making my daughter behave, by making her listen, and by making her understand rules and consequences at an early age, that I was putting too much on my girl? Because if that's what she meant, then by all means, I'm glad I was that way!

Look where we are at almost 13, my daughter is incredible! She is intelligent, diplomatic, inquisitive, behaved, open, compassionate, giving, and so much more! Does she have bad days? Of course, but her good far outweighs her bad. Does she get under my skin? Of course, but that's usually because the introvert in me has taken over. Does she get mouthy? Of course, she's almost 13!

But if you're going to ask me a question like how she's doing, I'm going to give the most honest and proper response that encompasses the largest portion of our lives, and that is that she is amazing. 

So today while out, I had to stop in at the jewelry store that I work at, and while we were there we started talking about birthstones because she saw a necklace she liked but it was December's stone. So we walked over to hers and started looking and just talking. I then saw a ring that I had forgotten we had which contained two main stones. Her birthstone and mine. In my most cheesy mother like tone, I said "look it's both our birthstones". Thinking this girl was going to shame me and think it was cheesy, but she shocks me and likes it! Not only does she like it but she then says, "we could have matching rings". After I took a moment to come back to reality, it was a done deal. I bought my daughter her ring and will have mine shortly. 

It's these moments that make my heart swell and remind me that I have done the most amazing job of raising her. I can't really question why God only gave me one child because I think he gave me the best one there is to have.