My Kennedy Has Resurfaced

{While begging Kennedy and Jeff to be my guest bloggers last night - since all of you are too shy and don't dare step forward to the blog-ophone with a personal essay - Kennedy batted her glittering eyelashes at me and said, rather coyly, "You could write a post about your sweet, darling daughter." She's been the topic of many conversations between Jeff and I lately so I thought I would share.}

***

I feel like I've finally got my daughter back.

Last year, as she entered the dark abyss of jr. high - with its tides of teenagers scrambling for solid ground, experiencing the discomforts of change, the evolution of friendships, and the ebb and flow of self esteem, we felt like we lost a part of Kennedy that made her, well, Kennedy. The spark of youth and its carefree shine. 

We had friends who told us it would happen.  Those innocent 12 year olds enter a world whose hallways are plastered with just about every diagnosable mental disorder out there.  And you know what?  Every one of those naive panic stricken 7th grade newbies will experience these at some point - paranoia, split personalities, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, mood disorders, irrational thinking, emotional hemorrhaging.  We try and arm them with pep talks, parental guidance and advice, pat them on the back, drop them off at the doors, and say, "Good luck!"  

It's amazing any of them survive the first day.

The lighthearted and talkative and happy girl that we had lived with for 12 years fell below the surface for awhile.  Actually, the whole year.  She was still our Gee Gee - kind and compassionate with a firm foundation of who she was - but her spirit was just less buoyant. There was more of a heaviness to her.  Like she was spent.  She had good friends and was secure in a supportive network, but the daily task of making it through the mind games and foul language and questionable values of others, made for an exhausting 7th grade experience.  

This year has been a completely and totally different ride.  She's no longer a "sevey" - at the bottom of the food chain.  Being an officer has expanded her horizon, allowed her to work with some truly amazing kids, and has kept her positively involved in school activities.  She's more aware of who her true friends are and feels more secure as her circle continues to expand. She's had to learn to step over the adolescent garbage and ignore those who would rather tear down than uplift.

And she's back!

She moves like a girl who knows she has found her niche despite the mayhem. She has come through unscathed and walks with her head firmly on her shoulders.  She has watched and she has learned and has decided who she wants to be. She continues to hold her standards high and surrounds herself with friends who have equal respect for themselves. She smiles and laughs because she finally has fresh air in her lungs.  It was a long haul but she did it. She doesn't seek popularity nor the praise of others.  She has seen what it sometimes takes to be the uber popular.

And she's not interested.

She is loving school this year and comes home each day talking a mile a minute. She, being her mother's daughter, gives very detailed and descriptive recounts of her daily dealings.  I love it. She is energetic and peppy and loves life.  

The gray clouds of 7th grade have blown through.  

Thank goodness for the blue skies and sunshine.

:D !