By Kelli Bowen
As a parent, some moments take me by surprise.
With the move and worrying if my kids would find “nice people”. Miss E has gone beyond “nice people” and found “her people.” She has entwined among a couple local boys and they have their own band of uniquely wonderful weirdos.
We have experienced shiny-ball-syndrome before, where “friends” swarm at the onset, but slowly stop responding as the newness wears off. Among her new friends there is an acceptance one doesn’t normally find, especially in the middle age years.
Fast-forward to her first proper school dance. The school a few miles down the road was having a dance, and two of the three unique weirdos signed up to go.
She asked if I could help her get ready. My little mom-of-an-eye-rolling-tween heart exploded with joy. I did her hair, nails, and a touch of shimmery eyeshadow. She looked SO grown up. She chose a dress from her closet that she had worn to her aunt’s wedding the fall before. This was a stark departure from her baggy hoodies and leggings.
We hopped in the car to pick up her friend. He also was looking dapper for twelve. He handed Miss E a flower. In the drive over he admitted he had no idea where his mom got it, but she told him to give it to Miss E. (Good job, Boy Mom!) The kids even endured a couple of photos from the moms and were off to the dance.
I watched my daughter lead the local boy into a school she’d never been, for a dance she’d never experienced, and she was a sure-footed as the day she stepped on the big yellow bus for kindergarten.
I felt a swell of pride as I remembered my adorable little girl as she climbed into the big yellow bus by herself, ready to take on the world. Now this amazing unique young woman was taking the lead again into an unknown challenge, not even a pause in her stride.
As a parent, all I want is to help mold kind, happy, contributing members of society. Having a daughter confident enough to walk into an unknown situation with her new friend by her side made my heart smile. Then I smirked. To the unknowing bystander, it may have looked like a date, and that’s okay because not surprisingly, this new girl…is a pretty cool cat.
Kelli makes her home in Billings County with her husband, two daughters and a dog. She works for North Dakota's #1 tourist destination by day and tries to be an alright mom, wife, friend, and writer by night.
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