Proud of my kid

My fifteen year old daughter is a freshman in high school.

This past year brought some dramatic (and traumatic) changes to her life.

Last October we moved from the house where she'd lived her entire life to a new community fifteen miles away. She had to change schools two months into the school year. Our new neighborhood isn't as accessible to as many places via bicycle as our former neighborhood and she rode her bike EVERYWHERE. She was entrenched in the friendships that 14 year old girls cherish.

While excited about our new home - we bought a newer, more light-filled, slightly larger house - it tore me up to see how much the move affected her. She tried so hard to keep up a brave face, but there were many, many tears.

Her new school seemed enormous to her. She didn't think she would know a soul or ever make the kind of friends she had in the old neighborhood.
The first couple of days of school were OK. Turns out her voice teacher from her former school was the voice teacher at her new school. When she saw my daughter she scooped her up in a big hug and welcomed her. I said prayers of thanksgiving for that teacher remaining in her life.

My daughter made friends quickly. Initially not the kind of "soul friends" that she had before, but the kind you could definitely chat on the phone or have a sleep-over with. Her circle of friends expanded over the year. I made sure that we imported her friends from the old neighborhood every few weeks or took her back to spend time with them.

Now we're on to a new year and a new school. Ninth grade can be a scary thing. Her school has 980 FRESHMEN! It is important to get involved and find a niche. There are many clubs and activities to choose from, but the whole thing can be amazingly overwhelming.

My daughter has always loved to draw and has a particular passion for anime art,movies and books. She loves the Japanese culture and language. She can sing several songs (LONG songs!) in Japanese and has a Japanese dictionary that she uses to translate words all the time.

Her former school had an Anime Club, but the high school did not. So, she decided that they needed one. She found a teacher who was willing to be their sponsor. Together they nailed a date for the first meeting. They got all of the club information onto the announcements. The teacher told me that she has had quite a few kids tell her they are excited about the club. Today is their first meeting!

I'm very proud of my daughter. I'm proud of her fortitude, her ambition and her leadership. Mostly, though, I'm proud of the lovely, faith-filled young lady she has become. During this trying year she truly did put her trust in God. There were times when I felt, as a mother, I simply wasn't able to make things as right as I wanted them to be for her. She has a quiet dignity and faith that amaze me.