Another Abby Quote

As most parents of young teen girls will attest, adolescence sucks. It sucked when I went through it, and it sucks in duplicate now that my girls are going through it.  There are some days when Ohio's death penalty is the only thing that brings me back from the brink of infanticide.

And then there are times like last night. Chris was out of town, and, as always, that means fast food for dinner. We went to the Arby's in our neighborhood and as I sat eating my BLT I realized that no one was fighting. Not only was no one fighting, these kids were being downright pleasant -- to me and to each other. We were joking, talking about books, and simply enjoying each other's company. It was like there'd been a jackhammer working outside my office window all day and it suddenly turned off.

When we got home, I couldn't resist. I asked them all to come sit down with me. "What did we do?" Katie asked. "Nothing. Just sit," I assured her.

"You know," I began, "It's not always easy being a parent. I know you guys will fight just like I fought with my brothers and sister. I know sometimes you'll think I'm the worst mom in the world. But most days, I am so proud to be your mom. You can be really great kids when you want to."

Abby's response was quintessential Abby. She gave me a big hug and as she was squeezing me, she said sweetly into my ear, "...and MOST days I'm proud to be your daughter."

The wise cracker at 16 months.