I was the youngest daughter. Graceful, curvy older sisters with sleek hair.
Awkward stumbling me.
Always on the wrong side of the learning curve and always a pest.
Because that's what you do when you live on the wrong side of the learning curve; you specialize in pestification. Or at least that's what I did.
My sweet, blond, and curly headed daughter, who talks of having the brown straight hair and olive skin of her sisters, is home for the week while the older girls are at camp. Too young to go.
"Too young", a common refrain for the youngest.
I remember.
So...
She and I went on a date. A brotherless girly date. A studiedly casual date.
I got to enjoy just her. She got to be just her and not "the youngest".
The palest strawberry-fudge eyeshadow later.
Daddy (forewarned) noticed.
She giggled.
I'd never dreamt I'd buy makeup for an 11 year old when I started my mothering journey.
Things change.
Hopefully I'm on the right side of the learning curve, at least for a while.
This is also part of Steady Mom's 30 min Challenge. This post took 30 minutes plus the hour and 1/2 shopping.
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8 comments:
I think you are DEFINITELY on the right side of the learning curve...WAY TO GO MOM!
Oh my goodness it can be trying to be the youngest. Nothing is new and exciting since someone is bound to have already done it and those older siblings have already tried everything so it's almost impossible to slip things past the parental units.
I'm so glad she got some fun, laid-back, special time alone with you. We all need it once in awhile, don't we? Great call, Mom!
How precious. I think you and your family are adorable. Pestification? Sweet word. Another reason why I love your posts. You twist words like cotton candy.
I love this wisdom and how you have opened yourself to your daughter's feelings. I was the younger daughter and enjoyed a couple of years when my sister left for university where I had my parents full attention, I loved every moment. However, I also enjoyed the annonimity and greater freedom of being the 2nd child - hey, I got it good and I know it!
yes! I was the 4th youngest of 5 girls but the 5th was 5.5 years after me so a big gap. for the most part I was the youngest and it was so frustrating. I was too little, I would cry, I couldn't run fast enough, I couldn't hit hard enough...of course it led me to be the guinea pig when they would let me get involved which led to a broken nose, a concussion and various other hurts that we never told our parents about because it would get them in trouble and goodness knows if they were goign to let me be involved I was NOT going to complain at all!
Yes definitely on the right side. How sweet. Nothing like some quality one on one time. XD
Beautiful! Yes, you are definitely on the right side of the learning curve. My husband and I were both oldest in BIG families. It's easy to see the responsibilities the oldest inherits, but thanks for opening my eyes on all the youngest misses!
Thank you for this reminder to take time to enhoy just them, one on one. I think it can be hard no matter where you are in the birth order; you are always "the oldest" or "the youngest" or seen as the whole rather than the one.
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