LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS OH MY...BUT SCARIER--TEENAGERS, TEENAGERS AND TEENAGERS! OH MY!

Rebecca is only 3 years old and she's already glued to Tiger beat and Justin Bieber!


Remember when Dorothy, the Scarecrow and Tinman were following the yellow brick road and they were frightened by the possibility of meeting LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS? Well that doesn't hold a candle to TEENAGERS! And who am I to talk? I don't even have any teenagers yet...just the pre-teen signs of whats to come...and I'm afraid...very afraid!

I can remember bringing all 5 "pink" bundles of joy home from the hospital. Everyone said--"you're so lucky--girls are a dream--sugar and spice and every thing nice...no snails, or puppy dog tails here". Of course then there was wise old mom who said--they're sweet as pie now...but wait til they're teenagers--that's when you'll wish you had 5 boys! Of course I believed my girls would be different. They won't fight, they won't pull each other's hair, my girls will defy the odds....who was I kidding...after all I was a teenager once myself and apples don't fall far from the tree.

Remember all the time you spent fixing your daughter's hair so it was just so cute? Well that comes back to haunt you in the teen years....Graceann now spends hours and hours in the mirror making sure her hair is "just so cute"!

Graceann...and the new generation's peace sign!

Graceann taking a picture with her phone to make sure her hair is perfect...notice I said with her phone...when I was a teen you talked on the phone--just for 2 minutes to find out the homework you forgot to write down--you never spent hours and hours on the phone--and of course back in the "olden days" there was no such thing as taking a picture with your phone....pictures were to celebrate special events...not to see if your hair is perfect.

notice Grace's outstretched arm? That's her holding her phone taking another photo..making sure a hair isn't out of place....if only she did the same with her room--making sure an outfit, or book, or whatever else is on the floor wasn't out of place!

I am always excited about what the future holds...but at the same time I'm so afraid of the drama that will come with it. Graceann has fought with her best friend, made a new best friend, got back with her old best friend and made her new best friend her second best friend, and then made her second best friend and her first best friend become best friends all in 5 minutes time...I can't even keep up.

What about the boyfriends? I am sure they will come calling too...am I ready to handle dating? My husband (the police officer) used to tell people that when dates came to pick up the girls he would conveniently be cleaning his gun at the kitchen table...and would hold it up to the fellow and ask what time was he having our daughter home...and to remember to treat her with respect if he knew what was good for him. I--on the other hand...have my own method when it comes to dating. After Grace and her boyfriend leave...I get into the minivan and follow them...of course I will also invest in a good pair of binoculars before this date. You've heard of hiring private investigators to check if your spouse is cheating...well I'm starting a mom investigator business...to check and see what your teen is doing with who...and to stop anything from happening if it is ever to begin.

Of course my mom also told me (after she said be prepared when they're teenagers) that all your hardwork in raising the girls when they're little will determine how they act as teens....and to always remember that....(maybe that's what scares me so much!) Have I done enough to teach them right from wrong? Did I let them get away with too much? Spoil them? Was I home enough?

Time will tell...in the meantime...I take photos of notes like below to remind myself...even though they're teens...they'll always be my little babies. My daughter Caroline wrote this note on her dry erase board after her 10th birthday.

It says: Dear Mom, I love you so much. You Rock Mommy even though I am 10 years old I will always be your little baby girl/pre-teen/kai. Well thanks for my presents. Love you Caroline.