back to school.....

The bride and I went to open house at Centennial last night. We came away feeling good about two things. First, we're glad that Meg's in a very good high school, one that will prepare her for college. Second, we're glad that we've already done the high school thing. I mean after working a full day and then going through a full day of classes, I was beat when we got home.

We knew the day would come when Meg would like spending time with her friends as much (or more) than her family. I remember telling her when she was about 5 that this would happen. She would roll her eyes and tell me that this just wouldn't happen. But it's just natural, all part of growing up. Adults just aren't fun to hang with on a constant basis. Last Friday night was the true sign of change, though.

The four of us were going to the Centennial game, but Meg was going to meet several friends for tailgating before the game. We told her that we'd drop her off, then we remaining three would go grab a bite to eat. On the way, Meg said that she wanted to be dropped off at Sonic where she'd wait for her friends and then walk back across the street for tailgating and the game. Being adults, that made no sense to us? Why do that? Why not just let us drop you off in the school parking lot where the tailgating takes place? So she gave in, but several hundred feet from the tailgating, she said, "OK, you can just drop me off here." Again, this made no sense to logical adults. Later we realized that she didn't want her friends (particularly her junior and senior friends) to see her dropped off by Mommy and Daddy. Then, and only then, did it make sense to us. Independence had reared its head.

Does this worry me? Not at all. I'd much rather she be outgoing than introverted. But is she embarrassed of her family? I'm sure there's a little bit of that for every teenager. Besides, I'm sure I've given her plenty of reasons to be wary of me being around her friends......