A Trip to the Mall

I went to the mall yesterday with my daughter and a couple of her friends. After that trip it became very clear to me that our relationship has now rounded that inevitable corner. I am the mom and she is the almost-teenager.

Any parent of a teen knows what that means. It means that I spent the whole time at the mall walking 10 paces behind the group of girls I was shopping with. Actually, they walked 10 paces in front of me. There's a big difference. It means that I was the person who just happened to have the money. It means I wanted to yell at the tall girl in the middle of the group....."HEY, I'M THE PERSON WITH THE MONEY!!!!!!"

But, because this is not my first teenager, I knew not to force my presence on her. I just walked slowly, and knew eventually she would be happy to see me. Because after all....I was the person with the money. AND...I was her way home. Which brings me to the key of a good parent teen relationship-have something to hold over their head.