a kinder generation

My daughter Christie turns 14 this week. The girl loves a party, so she planned her own big bash, including renting a hall, choosing a theme and decorations, food, deafening music (atta girl!) and dancing. I was the foolish adult who agreed to all of this. But the closer the date came, the more I sweated just thinking about what I'd gotten myself into.

Finally I recruited the help of two mom friends. Thank God I came to my senses. They were a huge help, and I couldn't have done it without them. Plus they made it fun.

We drank wine in the hall's kitchen while 30 kids danced wildly to more hip hop tunes than I care to know. The 3 mom-keteers were shunned to the kitchen, cuz face it, we're much too embarrassing. I guess it didn't help our case when we said we were going to come out and dance. So we pretty much stayed put, but every once in a while we'd peek out on them, as good chaperones do...

And we 40 something year old women all noticed something unusual and wonderful. This group of kids was having the time of their lives, not only getting along, but everyone was interacting with everyone else. Girls danced with boys, girls danced with girls, even boys danced with boys, for a laugh. Everyone took turns grabbing the mic and singing along on the stage. They were having a friggin ball, with no alcohol. None of us moms could say that we remembered times anything like that when we were 14. I think kids have come a long way.

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My daughter also received an amazing surprise this week from her best friend. This girl had arranged to take Christie to a concert along with a bunch of their mutual girlfriends. My daughter didn't know anything about it, but I did. Her friend had called me 2 weeks ago and asked my permission first of all, then asked me to pack a "get out of school early" note in Christie's backpack, because they'd have to leave school early that day to get to the concert in another town.

This friend went down to the school office around 2:30 on the day, and announced on the school's loudspeaker that it was Christie's birthday and that she had to come down to the office where her birthday surprise would begin. Christie was a bit dumbstruck, not knowing what was going on, but she did as she was told.

Her friend had gotten her father to drive their van full of girls to a city an hour away, have dinner, then go to the concert. You think that's impressive for a 14 year old to arrange for another 14 year old? Well, it gets better!

Before the show, her friend had called the radio station that was sponsoring the concert and asked them to sing happy birthday to Christie at the concert, and they did! I can't imagine the elation that Christie must have felt when they said her name to the whole audience. Oh, and one more thing...her friend got her an autograph of one of the band members. I never had friends like that!

I feel so grateful that my daughter has such caring people surrounding her. I have felt so warm and fuzzy this week, not only because I am watching my sweet and beautiful daughter growing older, but also witnessing amazing and loving acts of kindness in this young generation.

This is the generation who will be taking care of us in a few decades...thank God!!!