Tween Fun-ness

Madi and I had a slightly funny conversation tonight.  Not funny funny but more like 'I totally have been where you are and it's tough but exciting to go from kid to teen.  It was more about comaraderie about how everything hits you at once in the tween years:  sweat, boobs, smell, pimples, oily hair.  All that great fun stuff.  You go from being a kid to having to put on deoderant, wear bras, use facial cleanser and moisturizer, using lotion, using dandruff shampoo and trying to remember everything everyone is trying to tell you to do.

I told her I thought she was handling these tween years well.  That yes, we definitely get frustrated and it is definitely not an easy transition time to be a 'parent' during.  But that we're doing the best we can.  Thankfully, it was talked about with ease with her and I.  And all came about as a result of me asking if she had used her facial cleanser.

She told me that you had seen pimples and had asked if she was using it.  I told her that I had noticed but that we'd had other things to talk about lately and I felt like we would have been hounding her more if we had brought it up.  That I felt like we were saying "do this" and "do this" and "oh by the way, you need to..." so I was going to bring it up soon, but just hadn't.

So I showed her how to use the cleanser, how to pat - not rub - with the washcloth on her face, how to scoop water to wash the cleanser off and then how to use moisturizer.

There will definitely be a need soon to show her how to shave her legs.  Hoping it can wait til you are here so you can help her with that one.  Not that I can't.  Because I can if you want!  Just thinking there will be some things you'll want to be able to help her with too.  Shaving armpits, waxing eyebrows/upper lip - all of that won't be far behind either.  Totally comes with the territory!

We gave each other a high five after the talk and giggled a little about how 'fun' it is to grow up and enjoy wearing bras.  I told her it gets better and that there are stores that sell more comfortable and softer bras as she gets older.  We'll probably go check out Aerie for her next ones as she's needing new ones.

She is self conscious of the pimples and really doesn't like finding new ones.  We were really matter of fact when talking about things and I told her that she's normal.  That considering all things, she is really handling the tween thing well.  So high five, Madi.  Things really do get better from here!!