Please Pass the Pepper

I never knew how great it was to have a high-schooler.  No, I am not (for once) being facetious.  It is truly fun.  I can see Pepper more and more coming in to herself.  I see her working less at what she thinks she should be and just relaxing into who she is. 

She is so funny and clever.  I love sharing humorous movies and books with her because she gets it on a deep level. She enjoys slapstick, sure, but she also loves dry wit and irony, in particular.   Her sense of humor is what earned her the nickname "Pepper."  She just has a bunch of zip.

She's well read, and I think that will stand her in good stead in the future.  In addition to having a broader, better-informed view of life, well-read people make interesting conversationalists.  I read a lot of books when I was her age, but they were mostly junk.  She reads the good stuff;  the challenging, complicated literary works that exercise her brain and her imagination.

I did not know that part of mothering would be this almost clairvoyant ability to see one's childrens' abilities and capabilities.  As she talks about her future career paths, I can see the possibilities.  There is so much potential for her;  she's a good student so academically, she has a lot of choices.  And she has a lot of creative possibilites too; cooking, art, needlework, writing.  I can see it all.


 

I especially appreciate her choices early on not to be a conformist -- but also not to be a rebel.  She is -- simply --herself, and most of the time, she is great with it. 

Several years ago, she made a decision "not to be embarrassed."  This is a huge relief to a high school mom.  I can't embarrass her!  Whew!  If she trips over the door frame or blurts out something "untoward" -- she forgives herself.  She wastes no energy on embarrassment.

Sure, from time to time she doubts herself -- she thinks she should be more popular or whatever -- but mostly, she is a gal with her feet on the ground.

She's a marvelous creature, "wondrous to behold."

  I'm immensely blessed to walk this path with her!