“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”

By Nadine On October 23, 2012 · Leave a Comment

Isn’t that the word you are supposed to say when there is nothing else to say? At least according to the film ‘Mary Poppins’.

I’ve been lost for words several times recently, not knowing how to react or what stance to take, and funnily enough, the issue that has had me flummoxed is this new stage my pre-teen daughter is entering into – I may need Mary Poppins to sort her out!

Without going into too much detail, to respect my daughter’s privacy more than anything else, I can see we are headed for that ‘pre teen’ state of her kicking away from me to develop her own identity. Being a teenage girl is bloody hard, I remember what it was like and I’m full of love and empathy for my baby who I just want to protect from it all. But go through it she must if she is to learn to stand on her own two feet.

My daughter is a beautiful, intelligent, thoughtful and loving girl who really tries hard at school and tries to do her best. She does listen to me when I impart advice, even though she pretends not to, but I see the flicker of understanding in her eyes as she registers what I’ve said and processes it internally. Ultimately I know she will be absolutely fine. She’s independent and strong minded and she will navigate these few hard years with a few knocks but mostly come out unbruised. However the paths we need to take in order to get there are a little rocky at the moment. And she doesn’t want my hand to steady her. And that hurts. It really hurts.

They say that with little girls, the mother ‘loses’ them for a while, but that they come back in the end, and the bond is just as close if not closer for the experiences they have been through. The mother’s opinion carries so much weight – with both the child and the adult child. Think about how much your own mother’s opinion affects you now, even as a grown woman. It is a necessary part of development for a young girl to distance herself a little from the mother in order to grow her own way and form her own opinons. I get that. I’m just hugely thankful that my daughter has several young aunties to talk to if she ever needs an understanding female ear that is not her mother. And I’ll be right here waiting with open arms for her when she decides to come back.