My Daughter Is Turning 15, and Honestly? She's Great

Hi, loves, 15 (!). Let me spell it out: fifteen. My oldest daughter turns 15 this week. I often catch myself thinking, where did the time go? Which is nonsense, of course. When I look at photos of me as a brand-new mom, just 29 years old, I know there's a whole lot of time between then and now. And a whole lot happened in it.

For one thing, the tiniest, most delicate of my babies (5 pounds, 8 ounces, 19 inches long) turned into a teenager. Anyone who held that mini baby back then couldn't have imagined she'd ever grow into a big person. Now she's exactly that: a big person, a wonderful person.

It can't be easy being the oldest of four kids. Lately especially, I've said to her a lot, "Can you just quickly…, Could you help me real quick…" Somebody is always barging into her room, somebody is always interrupting. So we need a set time every evening on the couch where we can talk in peace.

My oldest was an easy baby and an easy toddler. She was cheerful, she slept well, she never had meltdowns in the grocery store. And I was still incredibly insecure. I wanted to do everything extra well. I once ran around the neighborhood for an hour and a half looking for sugar-free zwieback (those dry, twice-baked teething toasts), because I had sworn my child would get no sugar before her first birthday. She had expensive baby gear, only the best of everything, because back then I still thought it would influence her development.

I was afraid she'd feel dethroned when her little brother came along, so just a few days after his birth I took her to her early music class, where I honestly thought I was about to pass out. Speaking of early music class: she was the only one of my kids who got to "enjoy" the whole baby class circuit. Baby swim class, baby massage, PEKiP (a German parent-and-baby play group program), early music class, toddler gym – we did it all. With her siblings, I had neither the time nor the nerves left. And just for the record: my daughter isn't especially musical or athletic today, so the classes didn't exactly stick 🙂

15 years old and wonderful

A lot of people warned me. If the child is easy as a toddler, it'll be that much worse later. And anyway, the teen years with a girl are really hard. There's sure to be a lot of attitude. And you have to watch a girl especially closely. So far, I can say: it's zero point zero bad. Not even a little. I find it absolutely wonderful to watch her grow. Her world is getting bigger, I'm no longer there for everything, friends are getting more important, and so are clothes. I think she's doing a great job taking care of herself so far, and she knows we're always there to help if things get dicey.

It's a gift to watch this new generation of women. To see how they no longer make many of the mistakes we made. How they head into their future with confidence and smarts. I'm so grateful that she still snuggles up to me in the evening sometimes, tells me about her life, and asks me for advice. I can count on her, and she can count on me.

I'm so proud of her, of the way she's walking her path so far. And of how she is at home with her siblings. I wouldn't change a thing about her, I love her like crazy. Being 15 was really hard for me – she's so much more relaxed. My wish for her is simply that she stays true to herself and always has people at her side who are there for her and who she can count on. She has everything it takes to conquer this world.