I Have a Tween Girl
I have a tween girl.
Who often makes my lips curl;
From the rolling of her eyes,
To the irritated sighs.
I have a tween girl.
I have a tween girl.
Whose texting numbers would make your head swirl;
She rarely thinks her parents are great,
That is unless we agree to let her stay up late.
I have a tween girl.
I have a tween girl.
Who dreams of diamonds & pearls;
She is caught somewhere between,
Totally confused and figuring out what life will mean.
I have a tween girl.
I have a tween girl.
Whose emotions are often in a whirl;
You never know if she will smile,
Or totally hate you for awhile.
I have a tween girl.
I have a tween girl.
Who’s trading in pig tails and curls;
For straightening irons,
Lip gloss and teenage concerns.
I have a tween girl.
I have a tween girl.
Whom I wouldn’t trade for the world;
From her giving personality,
To her humorous originality.
I have a tween girl.
This poem was inspired by the subtle ways I feel myself shifting in order to accommodate this new stage. The articles I find myself gravitating to, the books I am reading, the questions I ask, the information searches I do, and the things I worry about are all changing.
I find our lives shifting, in ways I didn’t necessarily expect. I have heard it said that, “Remembering is not the same as understanding,” and I am finding that to be so true. I do remember so much from these years, but I think I often want to make light of it, or try to explain it to her, as if that will make the light go on and she will suddenly have all this wisdom and knowledge! I know she has to find her own way, and I can only hope to offer her suggestions and paths that will steer her in a positive direction, but ultimately it is up to her.
April 16, 2012 @ 11:09 pm
I just joined NOBH and found your blog. I love your poem Heidi! It makes me either want to laugh or cry, and that just nails life with our tweens.
Blessings on your journey, and I’m looking forward to following.
Ann
April 18, 2012 @ 6:56 am
Ann, thank you for stopping in. I love your sentiment about laughing or crying as it is so true! Even my tween is like that; one extreme to the other in the blink of an eye!
April 19, 2012 @ 3:10 am
I love you poem. These are my sentiments exact….I too have a tween girl. As much as I love the wonderful young lady she is becoming….I am not ready for it all. 🙂
April 19, 2012 @ 7:15 am
Madalyn, it does seem to be a double edged sword; love it and don’t at any given moment. I look at my tween in certain moments and am in awe of the “big girl” she is becoming, as I can’t envision her as “grown up” yet! 🙂
April 19, 2012 @ 9:25 am
Food for thought. When we say the word Tween.. We never think of a tween boy. hehe..
April 20, 2012 @ 7:16 am
Oh, the tween years! All the growing up they do towards the woman they are becoming, and the letting go we really start learning to do.
It is a delightful stage with its difficulties, for sure, but wonderful nonetheless. I thought your poem captured it beautifully!
April 20, 2012 @ 8:28 am
Thank you Kim. Clearly I am in the throws of tweendom with my daughter, and just hoping to stay afloat during her trials and tribulations! Plus, I really want to find the good side, the sweet way she buys Easter basket things with her own money for her siblings, the neat bond she shares with my dad, etc.
April 20, 2012 @ 12:15 pm
Love your poem; not only creative but capturing the essence of this phase of the journey with Chloe.
May 1, 2012 @ 10:59 am
and life shifts … so very true.
I have one who just goes about her business and loves the world … but the world is not always such a loving place back.
And this mama’s heart hurts …
Thank you for linking into Time Travel Tuesday for May – so thrilled to have you xxx
May 1, 2012 @ 11:08 am
Nicole, I have never felt such an ache as when one of my children has been wounded by the world around them. 🙁
May 2, 2012 @ 10:38 am
Oh, I loved this, Heidi! I, too approached my girls’ teenage years with misgiving. How wonderful to find that they became, not the hormonal, angsty (is that a word?) temperamental creatures I had expected, but instead, my best friends. Wonderful times in your past? Your best times are still ahead of you! Thank you for sharing!