"You want to do WHAT?!" Letting Our Children Grow Up...

When my daughter, Taylor, (18 next month) was in kindergarten, it was already clear that she was going to be one of those kids who would create her own path in this world.  Her kindergarten teacher called me to a meeting and said, "I have been teaching 5-year-old kids for more than 20 years, and I have never seen anyone do...."  Yes, that is when I knew Taylor would be her own person No Matter What!!

Being an artistic, creative, outgoing, outspoken girl, she has gone through a complete cycle of career ideas--all if which she would be perfect for:  

• When she was going through her pink, blue, purple hair stage, she wanted to be a Hairstylist.

• When she was going through her Raccoon Eye make-up days, she thought a Makeup Artist might be "it."

• Then she discovered the joy of photography, and with her artistic eye, she would have been good at it.  But then she realized she might have to take pictures of something other than herself! 

• When she went through her experimenting with drugs phase (yes, it happens.....) and went through a rehab program, she thought perhaps that was her calling (although truth be told, 8 years of college might have been a little more than she could swallow!) 

• She took a culinary class in high school and set about immediately looking into culinary schools.  At this phase, she actually applied and was accepted into a fantastic culinary arts school!

• And then, she realized that she didn't really like cooking--she liked baking and designing, so we looked into pastry arts schools, which, again, is a great fit for her!

Flash Forward to Present Day!!!

Taylor comes home last week, and being frustrated with her current job where she is not getting enough hours to support her shopping habit, she announces to me:

"MOM, I AM GOING TO BE A PIERCER!!"

Okay, so I have to tell you....while this may not be the career path I would have chosen for my little 5-year old girl, I told her to look into what she needed to do to make it happen!  The amazing thing??  She did it!  She went online to research, she made phone calls, she talked to shop owners--she actually did the work!  Now, this says a lot about her dedication to this line of work. So....

We went together to a new tattoo shop that opened less than a mile away, and talked to the owner.  We'd been in his shop several times and he is a nice guy.  You might not guess that by looking at him, but he is.  He does not do drugs, he does not drink, he has never smoked a cigarette, and he is the father of a teenage daughter.  He understands my concerns and I trust that he will take care of her....and that says a lot!

She started working there last week, and she loves it!  She has an outlet for her creative side and she is learning--not just about piercing, but about business and customer service and health issues.  Kevin (the owner) is preparing her for her future.  He insists that she learn the business inside-out--not just how to poke holes in people!!  haha

She gets up in the morning, gets her chores done, and is excited to go to work!!  She has a plan...she wants to finish this apprenticeship and then work part-time while she goes back to college for pastry arts.  This career choice will allow her to earn enough money to pay for college and possibly, one day, move out of my house!  

Yes, I always knew my daughter was not cut out for the traditional career path, but I could not be more proud of her!  She has found her passion and is now doing what it takes to Achieve Her Dreams!

As Moms, we always say "we just want our kids to be happy!"  Well, what I see is a happy little girl morphing into a happy young lady!

And that is enough for me!!

Now my son is another story all together.....

Until Next Time...

Argh....Teenagers--Gimme Diapers Any Day!

So, I have been wondering what to blog about today....and I flipped through a million different things in my mind, but did not feel that inspiration.  Until, that is, I had a little temper tantrum a few minutes ago.  Now, the rational part of my brain knows that maybe screaming bloody murder at the top of my lungs isn't the most effective way to get my kids to get off their butts and help our around the house, but....sometimes it feels so damn good!!  So that's what I did!  And guess what happened?!?

NOTHING!  I screamed, I yelled, I pleaded, I begged, and I can't be sure, but I think my head spun 360 and I hurled green guck!  And the response for all that energy???  NOTHING.  They looked at me with perplexed faces, calmly waited for me to either finish screaming or pass out from exhaustion, and then went back to their business of holding down the furniture.....

Okay, to put this in perspective for you, I've downloaded a couple pics to give you a better idea of what it looked like.  Pictures really are worth 1000 words.

This is how I usually react.....

So I really thought that when THIS happened

That they might Notice.....

and I'd see a little of THIS

BUT...

THIS is the Reaction I got....

 So, I did what any mother would do....

 I DECLARED A STRIKE!!!

If memory serves, I believe I even said I was never cooking again! Yes, I know, you know, and they know, that this is not a credible threat. But I told you that I went a little psycho....and it seemed reasonable at the time...

Then I went outside (loudly) and I had myself a little "Time Out"....when I came in, I opened up Microsoft Excel and created chore charts for my almost-grown children.  Yes, it really brings me back to their younger childhood days (imagine me daydreaming).  There is a list of chores for every day of the week.  They are hanging on the fridge for all their friends to see...only thing missing is the "star stickers" to show what good kids they are.  I refuse to spend a dollar on stickers, even to prove my point.  I think grounding them if they don't do them is a more effective way of dealing with them.

Anyway,  I feel better now.  Blogging does that (and so does bitching,) so it must be really cathartic to write a bitchy blog! 

To all the Mommies struggling with sleeping through the night, potty-training, and pre-school.....ENJOY IT!!  You have NO idea what's in store for you later!!  

Until tomorrow......