A New Frontier........

Jeremiah and I are keenly aware that we are on the brink of "teenage" life in our household. We are reminded every day in ever so subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) ways in some shape, form, or fashion that in 5 months there will officially be a teenager living in our home. This is confusing, exciting and horrifying all in the same emotion.
Confusing you say? Yes - because I'm pretty sure that we just graduated high school in May and couldn't possibly have a teenage child. Right? I mean, there is absolutely no possible way that I am married to a 30 year old man and that I myself will be 3-0 in just two short months! Now that carries some emotions - but I'll save that for September.
Exciting you say? Yes - she is blossoming into an amazing young woman and I love to watch her grow in confidence and become her own person. Okay - who am I kidding? Even as I typed that I realized she's always had a confidence I admire.
I hope she holds onto the "I am Dakota - take me or leave me the way I am because I don't care what you think" attitude. It's not a snotty attitude, it's a "this is who I am" attitude. It really is amazing!
But the confidence I'm trying to explain is a willingness to try new things; namely, rolling around in a hog pen with a hog? Who would have seen that coming? Certainly not us. And she was amazing! She acted like she'd done it before - and she was scared to death! But she held her own.
And her newest endeavor - horses. She has always loved horses but has been skeptical and nervous around them and now, after only a few lessons, is a totally different child around the horses. She acts like she's done that forever, too. She truly is an amazing young woman.
But back to my point............. Horrifying you say? Yes!!! In so many ways - but last night I was forced to face a milestone that has been an important step in so many of our lives................... she shaved her armpits!!!!!!!!! This is a big deal to me - well, to her, too, obviously.
For those of you who have not reached this milestone in your own daughters' lives you may be thinking, "Oh, come on, Tiffany. It's not really a big deal, is it?" Well, to you I say - YES! It's just another reminder that we are getting ready to enter a new season of life here in our household. And this is only the first, small step to big changes that lie ahead.
Now, don't get me wrong this was becoming necessary. And she didn't do this on her own accord. She did it the proper way, by asking first. It's something we've been talking about off and on all summer and last night was "the" night. She was finally ready.
So we actually cheated and "Nair"ed it up. This apparently is "all the rage" with legs and armpits among the girls her age - and frankly I don't see a problem. There certainly won't be any hunks of skin taken out with a razor this way! However, if her hair growth habits take after her mother that will probably be the only time she can Nair and not shave. Nair just does not work for me....but I digress!
So, this is just the beginning, I know. Next will be the legs - which I'm holding out for. I HATE shaving. And I have to do it every other day (sometimes daily) if I want to keep my legs smooth.(And for those of you who know me well, you know that just doesn't happen) It's just not fair to have such dark, coarse hair. So - I'm trying to get her to wait as long as possible so she doesn't have to deal with that, too. We'll see how long I can hold her off.
So, as I told you before this new frontier season of life has lots of emotions - for all of us. Her daddy just groaned when he figured out what all the "hubbub" was about last night. He's less prepared for this season than I am - actually, I think he's prepared, he's just in denial! And Drake was dying to get into the bathroom to find out what was going on. It was killing him.
And in true Dakota fashion (those of you who know her well this will not surprise you) when she was finished she was ready to show off her armpits. Her daddy was still in denial and chose not to look - however, this made Drake very happy. He kept saying - "I want to see. I'll look. I'll look!" She of course showed him. They have a very interesting relationship to say the least! :o)
Now she might be mortified if she knew I blogged about this activity........but then again, maybe not. (That's where that "I am who I am" attitude comes into play). But to save me, please don't ask to see her armpits. She'll probably offer to show them to you soon enough!