Who are you and what have you done with my daughter???

I just have to take a moment to brag on my beautiful Brenna. Mainly because I'm so amazed by her and partially to give those of you who have a teenage daughter hope.... My mom told me, when Brenna was about 12-13yrs old, that I just had to wait about 8 years and I'd like her again and eventually we'd be good friends. I know "thanks mom" that helps. Of course it didn't help that my mom gave me this sage advice between bouts of hysterical laughter!

There were all the times I wanted to superglue her mouth shut and duct tape the eyelids so I didn't have to hear "Whatever" and see that infuriating eye roll... ONE. MORE. TIME....

There was the $600 cell phone bill, the time she hid the butter tub under the futon upstairs because it was too much effort to take it back downstairs and but it in the refrigerator - even when I stood in the kitchen THAT NIGHT and said, "Where's the butter? I know I had a full tub in here?" I found it two weeks later.... How about the times we struggled to do homework, projects or whatever and she'd "forget" to turn them in, got zeros on homework because she didn't know which basket to put it in and God Forbid she ASK THE TEACHER! Or one of my favorites.... Scene: 10:00am dropping off at school after a dentist appointment...Me: "Remember, DO NOT text or use your phone for ANY reason today at school. I will check the bill." Her: eye roll and shoulder shrug.... Scene 2: Our house the next day...Me (to myself)... "I think I'll check the phone bill... just because I said I would." Pause while I log on and surf around the site... W.T.F!!!!!! There is was in black and white... starting at 10:08....texting every 5 minutes ALL DAY LONG....AT SCHOOL.... at 10:08am....

Anyway, I don't tell you all this to illustrate how bad she was, she was never a bad girl... we've always been very thankful that she' just a normal teenager... but as anyone who has a teenage girl knows... normal teenager can be very....trying....

Where am I going with all this.... Something happened this year... something happened between 10th and 11th grade and I don't know what it was... maturity, good genes, great parenting (snicker, snicker...), alien abduction, substitution by a pod person... I don't know, but something happened...

1. We got her report card.... ALL freaking A's and one B in honors Chemistry!!!!

2. She did very nicely on her SAT and agreed happily.... I repeat happily to take an SAT prep class and take it again to see if we can improve.

3. She took it upon HERSELF... to go to the school's curriculum fair and talk to a bunch of different teachers to decide what she wants to take next year. She did this ON HER OWN... I didn't even know they were having this fair... remember this is the girl who would rather take a ZERO that ask where to put her homework.

4. And last night she backed the van into the driveway!

She's pleasant, she's funny... I would venture to say she's delightful and I enjoy being with her when I'm allowed. I see glimpses of what an amazing young woman she's going to be...

So those of you with teenage or preteenage daughters there is light at the end of the tunnel... and it didn't take 8 years... it's only take 4-5 years!!!

I just hope this change isn't because she's doing drugs and having sex! :o)