Peers

Today is a wonderful day. It's the day my daughter's buddy saying goodbye to tween years and is turning thirteen. Without getting into the linguistic details of the word "tween," just take my word for it and believe that a girl turning thirteen is no longer a little child.

To celebrate the transition, five close friends of them had a fun-filled and action-packed sleepover. Their favorite day of the week. Watching them grow up reminds me Jedidiah Jenkins saying, "Do you remember the last time one of your parents picked you up and held you? There was a last time, and no one noticed."

This can sound silly. But my wife and I keep thinking of the good old days when our daughter was still holding our hands. The last time our two-year-old kept walking despite heavy eyelids, doing her best not to burden mummy's carrying her. It was a truly unique memory, both magical and comical at the same time. And we never tire of talking about the endearing memory of such a considerate toddler.

Now that my daughter is close to thirteen, I know very well our influence on her is in inverse proportion to the number of candles on the birthday cake. There are still ways, however, to boost our luck with her upbringing. One good example is to pray and facilitate her getting around positive and nice peers. For that, my daughter is lucky.