My Closet is Your Closet

My daughter was in my closet again yesterday--she keeps borrowing things from me to change her outfits around. Just adding one different item can change the whole look, and she loves to experiment with fashion and style. My closet is fairly simple--I don't have many things in there, really. But she seems to think it has an endless supply of items and accessories. We both would love to have a "dream closet" full of many things--anyone see the Princess Diary movies or Thirteen Going On 30? WOW--now THOSE are closets!! We both just ooed and aahed over those amazing closets!! Wouldn't it be great to have a nearly unending supply of clothes, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories? I can only imagine how much it would cost to recreate those closets--especially the jewelry! But a girl can dream--and at least my daughter seems happy enough with my simple closet. I'm not kidding myself--I know it isn't a "dream closet"--but still, if sharing some of my things makes her happy, then why not?

Republican or Democrat?

My son is having to be quite involved in the upcoming presidential election in one of his classes. They had to write an unbiased report about the candidates--that is not an easy thing to do! Adults throughout the media outlets have a difficult time keeping their opinions out of their reports--it isn't any easier to do this in a high school report. My family is known for keeping their political opinions private--we try not to discuss them too much and often we don't outright say exactly who we are planning to vote for in elections. Even so, I would say that we have a mixture of the two parties in our family and we also have many individuals who refuse to choose a party. Sometimes we can insinuate someone's party affiliation by their beliefs and by what they say, but not always. I won't discuss my opinions here, but I have some strong ideas about things and some would be considered liberal, yet some would be considered conservative. I cannot say that I hold to the overall beliefs of either party. I feel adamant about some points that candidates on one side are advocating, but vehemently disagree with other things they endorse. And the same can be said about their opponents--some things THEY say ring true to me, and other things do not. I am going to have a difficult decision to make in this election because I feel like saying "Amen" to things ALL candidates are saying, and "No way" to all of them, too! I am not choosing a party right now--I will choose a president based on what I think they will do for our country, not based on party affiliation. My son and I discussed these things, and I think my reluctance to "choose a side" helped him to stay objective in his report. Other students may have met with more biased opinions in their families--some families are very proud of their party affiliations and this HAS to be a big influence on their offspring. Either way--remaining unbiased is a very difficult thing to do--especially in high school!

Gandhi

My daughter is studying about Gandhi in her social studies class. They watched the film, and now they are being tested on their knowledge about his life. I have never seen the film, but she said that it was very good. Apparently he was a very interesting individual. Maybe I will rent the film and watch it some time. I really like her social studies curriculum this year--not only are they learning about different parts of the world, they are learning many things about the people from each region. Also, they are doing many things beyond the geography book--they seem to be learning a lot this way. She thinks that she did well on her test--maybe she can teach me about Gandhi now!

Creative Declarations of Love

Another way that my son has recently declared his love for his girlfriend is through "window art." He has some washable markers (yes, it DOES come off or I would be very angry about this!)--and he wrote a love note on his window for his girlfriend. He then took a photo of it and uploaded it to her through text messaging. I thought it was a very sweet gesture! Still, I also am getting a bit worried--I hope he isn't getting TOO serious! He is only fifteen! I did look back at some of my teenage memories--I was declaring my "love" for my various boyfriends at that age, too. I know that I was still quite innocent at that age and my "love" was heartfelt but not at all mature love yet. Many teenagers declare their love for each other, and then a month or so later say the same things to someone else. This is my son's third girlfriend of the school year--he seemed to be declaring his love equally in all three situations. I believe that all of these situations have remained on an innocent level--no big issues yet. Of course, I worry about two things in these situations: his physical health and his emotional health. We talk a lot and he talks to his dad about things--his physical health seems safe right now. I think I am more worried about his emotional health at this point--he is putting his heart on the line right now and I just don't want to see him get hurt. As he enters these early dating relationships, he seems to put his whole heart into it. I know we all have to learn how to deal with these things by experiencing them--still, I kind of wish that he was less serious with these girls. Maybe next year, when he is driving and taking girls on car dates, hopefully he will "play the field" a bit more. I think a young teen should LIKE a lot of people as they begin dating--I worry when they tend to "fall in love" with each one. Casual and innocent dating sure is easier on a young teen's heart! The more involved they let their heart get, the harder it will be when the inevitable break up occurs. For now, he thinks he loves this girl--I just can't help but worry about the implications--get too serious and problems could occur--break up and hearts are devastated. Teens and dating--I would NEVER want to repeat that experience! I am having a difficult time handling it all from a parental point of view, too!

Body Art

My son claims that he is in love, and he wants everyone to know it. He sometimes writes his girlfriend's name on his arm or hand for everyone to see. I wonder if this is a prelude to other things, such as tattoos and other body art. He claims that he is wary of needles and never plans to get a tattoo--I hope this is really the case. Not that tattoos are awful, in and of themselves. But how many people have declared their love through tattoos, only to want them removed or altered after a break up? I bet this is really common--even many celebrities have been seen with their lover's name--and then later seen with either a scar or a variation of the original tattoo. I even will dare to say that MANY people, no matter WHAT they chose to have tattooed on their body, one day regret it. On the other hand, I know some people who are very proud of their tattoos and have been for many years. My advice would be to think about the future--especially when it comes to personalizing things with the name of a loved one. I am just glad that my son's current body art is washable and not permanent--life is full of changes and tattoos aren't meant to be changed. They CAN be, but the wiser choice would be to NOT put something meant to be permanent on your body when you are young--I think many young people will regret doing that some day. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I won't have to face this issue in the near future with my teens--at least I hope not!

School Play

There wasn't enough time for my daughter to participate in this year's school play, but she did enjoy watching her friends in it. She said that they did a really good job and that she would probably try out for a play next year. I am both surprised and happy--I am glad that she is more comfortable in situations like that and I look forward to seeing her perform in the future. I don't know exactly what her long range plans are, but I imagine that I will be seeing her on stage in various roles. She may begin by working behind-the-scenes, and then she may work her way up to the small roles--and maybe, as she really matures, she may end up in a starring role some day. This is all kind of exciting! My wallflower has finally blossomed and is ready to waltz around the room! :)

Performing Arts

My daughter is definitely coming out of her shell now. She used to never try out for anything that would put her in front of an audience. She finally summoned up enough courage to do some things recently, and she realized that it wasn't nearly as scary as she thought it would be. It turned out that she was pretty good at performing and making speeches--now she is considering other things as well. She is going to be in an end-of-the-year performance next month--nothing too big yet, but she will be joining a group of friends as they sing a special song. I have always said that she was a drama queen--she sure can put on a big act at home! Now, maybe she is beginning to get past her stage fright and take some risks. I'm proud of her! :)