Re: ah the bliss of 18

[Guest guest]

Carol,

I can only imagine the feeling of wanting your daughter at your wedding and

being thankful she didn't show up! Ouch.

Yes, my daughter tried so hard to be popular, unfortunately, the " popular " girls

were not worth the trouble. Some of them where well packaged looks wise,

but the heart was bad. They were very cruel to her. They would invite her to

go somewhere like swimming at the lake, and then when she came they

would tell her there wasn't enough room in the car, too bad. These girls really

enjoyed seeing her hurt. One year they promised to come to her birthday

party and then no one showed up. She was just so desperate to be accepted

that she made it fun for them. Very rough years.

Prom, well, getting the dress was so easy I could not believe it. We found a

beautiful long creamy chiffon dress. It was classic, like something Audrey

Hepburn would wear. It was even the first one she tried on!!!! We even found

shoes she wouldn't fall off of. But on the day of prom, she wanted nails, and

hair, and a rose for her hair, and the right shade of red lipstick and she

forgot

the rose in the car and I went back with it and she lost the new make up and

raged through the house looking for it and on and on and on. Rough day, she

cussed me out and flipped me off and refused to eat so she was extra crazy.

Then her date refused to dance and the kids she was with only wanted to go

get drunk. My daughter happens to be on probation for truancy, and for

supplying alchohol to minors. Since she is over 18 and has irritated the judge

enough, they told her if she breaks probation, she can sit it out in adult

prison.

That reached her!!!! She came home early, mad and spoiling for a fight. She

had built prom up in her mind to be like movies she had seen and the reality

was nothing like it. And the good news is, she has another prom next

weekend! I will be out of town, so Dad gets to deal with it. I already did the

hard stuff, all he has to do is pick up the dress from the cleaners, take her to

her hair appointment, and then take pictures afterwards. Lazy bum!

Your right, having an 18 year old is just grand! I love that she is now legally

responsible for her actions. My hair may even slow down its rapid slid into the

color silver! For her, she feels caught between worlds, still a kid and being

forced to be an adult without any of the privilages. I told her everyone feels

that way at this age and it will continue until around age 21. I know I felt it.

But

if you are old enough to remember, when we were young, 21 was the age of

emancipation. 18 came only after all the Vietnam protests, our generation

didn't want to die for politicians they couldn't even vote against. I used to

tell

my daughter when she was younger, we fought so you could wear pants to

school! (As a little kid, she refused to wear pants for a time.) They have no

concept that we couldn't go to Harvard and use the main library, it distracted

the men. It is bemusing to compare her growing years with mine. Sometimes I

think that if this generation had a rallying cause, bigger than themselves, they

would have firmer roots. Jean C (ps, yes, I'm that old!)

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