I have said before that being a parent is Dickensonian....the best of times and the worst of times.

I can relate to hun-e-b as we both struggle with the strangeness of pride in growth and accomplishment while we mourn the loss of the sweet innocense of their infancy.

Somehow, we seem to be doing all right but we are reaching that point in time where there is to be natural conflict. Our elder daughter is almost sixteen and so warm and soft until you come up against a VERY stable, maybe even rigid, back bone. I find myself reveling in her independence even while I choke back frustration and sometimes hurt.

I need this time to be short...I need to focus on the future when she will come into her own and then be able to fully realize our love for her in the face of all our imperfections.

Until then, sometimes it will be hard.