Girl time

Here we are, a few days before Christmas, and my daughter and I are headed out to go shopping at a mall.   Crazy?   Maybe.

We're going today (not waiting until next week) because she needs jeans, and things are on sale now, and we have time now and we won't after Christmas.  So it's good timing.  (Except for that whole crowded-mall thing.  But I think we can get past that if we go early.)  But the point of the outing for me is to be together, to be with each other.   Maybe we'll go thrifting while we're out.  Maybe we'll have lunch.  Maybe we won't find what we're looking for.  Maybe we'll even come home empty handed. But for me, the time together is the gift.  The laughter. The connection.

It's such a treat for me to have time with my girl. When she's in school, we stay in touch pretty well.  We've learned how to make electronics work to our advantage and we do have some pretty darn awesome conversations via video chat and even texting. She's doing what you're supposed to do in college, which is to learn how to think for yourself.  So that means that our conversations are incredibly interesting and she's always bringing up a new point of view. Talking to her is the highlight of my day, and every time I talk to her, I learn something.   It is one of the most unexpected gifts of parenting young adults.  Nobody told me this part of being a mom would be so awesome.

So, to the mall we go.   Because she needs jeans, and I need time with my girl.