Her Bedroom is Her Kingdom

Things have changed a lot since I was a teenager. Back in the 70's we didn't have cell phones, text messaging, the internet, malls all over town, endless movies to go to, hundreds of TV channels to choose from, reality TV, and on and on. Our kids are exposed to so much, have so many more choices to make every day .... life for my daughter is incredibly different than the life I experienced in the early 1970's. She's busy and happy, has far too many clothes, purses and shoes, and has good friends. She's cute, smart and has boys calling her all the time (something I never had to worry about!). There are moments when I'm her best friend and then there are those times when I'm the Parent and the Enemy. When I look around her bedroom I see things that remind me she's still a child, and I see signs that she's really becoming a young lady - a really mixed bag! Here are some examples (don't be afraid, nothing graphic, just a big teenage mess - "this too shall pass" is my mantra):

She has nail polish, make-up, Q-tips, hair gadgets, earrings, bracelets, breath mints, pens, highlighters, lotions, perfumes, her pet fish, old Halloween candy, her cell phone bill - you name it, it's there somewhere.

Decor: Kelly and I painted her room several years ago, a beautiful combination of blues, now accented by the little string of blue lights around the ceiling. She's put up a row of fairies over the doorway that she sketched and colored. There are dried flowers, some peacock feathers and a couple of big round lights hanging from the ceiling at either end of her bed. The bed itself is draped with white netting, so she really feels like she's in a nest when she lays in bed covered with umpteen blankets and quilts to keep Her Highness warm.

Necessities in her life: Many purses, many pairs of gym shoes, boots and shoes, Rolaids for those times when life gets too stressful, and a tower of Kleenex boxes at her bedside used during the many emotional moments she's had with boys, girlfriends and others. Hint: Buy stock in the company that makes Kleenex. You should be able to retire happily in a few short years if her life continues to be filled with tear-producing events.

Gotta love her! I keep reminding my husband that we'll miss her when she's gone in few short years!