Call Me Crazy

Sixteen years ago this month, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She was a follically challenged little creature for the first several months of her life, and I had to resort to adorning her tiny head with those soft, elastic headbands so people would stop saying what an adorable baby boy...despite the fact that she was usually dressed in pinks and flowers! Baby girl eventually sprouted hair... lots and lots of thick chesnut colored hair that I now find clogging the shower drain.
But for the most part, she's a great kid and I'm planning a little something special to mark her sixteen years on earth.
She really doesn't want a party. My darling wants to spare me that expense because she'd rather I spend my hard earned money on buying her a Blackberry. Isn't she sweet?
"You don't need a Blackberry," I said. "People with real jobs like lawyers, accountants, and doctors need Blackberries."
"I am the only person at school without a Blackberry," she said. "You suck all the fun out of my life!"
Ouch. That left a bit of a sting, but I have a hard shell and have since recovered. I guess I'm tired of all the technology that has infiltrated one teenage girl's life.
So we compromised with a much healthier alternative. She wants to get in shape for summer, but isn't quite sure how to do it on her own. Instead of a Blackberry, her father and I are purchasing several sessions with a personal trainer, just a few sessions to get her on track to the point where she can devise her own workouts, without injuring herself in the process.
Still, it is her sixteenth birthday and some kind of celebration should take place to acknowledge the milestone.
So like the "creeper" my child has often accused me of being, I went through her list of Facebook friends, found twenty of her closest buddies, and we will surprise her with a scavenger hunt and dinner at her favorite shopping mall!
I know what you're thinking...dinner for twenty teenage girls!? If all twenty plan on attending, we'll eat on the cheap with pizza. Less than ten, I'll be happy to spring for a meal that includes cloth napkins and real silverware!