Little Girl Growing Up

My daughter went on her first “date” this weekend to a movie at the library, with her 3-year-old brother and myself as chaperones.

She is eight. She came home a couple weeks ago and asked about having a playdate, with a boy. This was a first for us. Then for a couple days she hung out by the phone, saying he was going to call.

When he finally did call, she didn’t know what to say. She just kind of held the phone and looked at me pleadingly. Now, when I am on the phone with her Grandpa Tony, she will beg for the phone and then tell him all about her day, school, what she had to eat, and on and on. But apparently she was at a loss for words. So I took the phone and spoke to his mom and set up the “date.”

Driving them to the library this past weekend it was funny looking in the rearview mirror and seeing her giggling with a boy. He’d brought gummies snacks to share, which my son was excited about. I sat with them at the movie, when my son wasn’t busy running in and out to play with trains. (I guess “Puss in Boots” wasn’t quite holding his attention, which honestly was fine with me.)

But as a mom it was one of those moments that makes you wonder. What will her first date really be like? How fast will the next few years fly by? When will she start wearing shiny lip gloss instead of lip balm?

I don’t really remember my first date. I do remember awkward junior high school dances, standing up against the wall, giggling with girlfriends about who would ask whom to dance.

My mom gave us some of her costume jewelry this weekend and we were talking about pierced ears. I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was 13, and my mom got hers done for the first time with me. I’m not sure when my daughter will get hers done, we will probably wait a few more years.

In many ways, she is growing up so fast, sprouting out of clothes that seemed to fit just last week and being able to give her brother a piggyback, but in other ways she is still my little girl, wanting to snuggle and read a book.

Hopefully, she will stay in this magical land of being a girl as long as she can, wrestling with her brother yet wanting to bring her dress up jewelry for share day at school.