Note to self moment...

I try to be that kind of parent that is honest about everything to my daughter.  If she happens to ask, I believe that she is ready to hear the truth.  When it comes to most things, I am brutally honest and I will share facts that back up what I am talking about.  The reason I do that is because even though she looks a lot like me, she is her father.  I really do not know all that much about how mt husband was raised, but when it comes to his mother... she can do no wrong.  I truly believe that if she was to tell him that the sky is purple, he would believe her.  As for me, if I was to tell him that the sky is blue, he would think I am off my rocker.  That is where I would have to take him outside and point his face towards the sky and help him come to the same conclusion that I have when I say that the sky is blue and not purple.  Apparently, my knowledge does not hold water with him at times.  I guess that is why when I complain about my back hurting, he thinks I have made it up.  If only I could show him the pain I feel, then maybe he would take my word for it.  Sadly, there is no test that can tell me, or better yet show him that I have back issues.  Well, that is something for another story at another time.

Onward about being honest with my daughter.  Well, there are some things that I try to be a little more vague in my answer.  It is still the truth, but it does not include the gory details.  I always believed that honesty is essential.  If my daughter learns things through another avenue, it just might tarnish me in a way that I could not be trustworthy for advise.  Trust is very important when you have a child.  If they cannot trust you, then how do you know that you can trust them to make good judgments?  Every child will make mistakes in life and every loving parent will be there for them.  It is the protective parent that educates their child about the dangers and hopes that they listen.  While some things may not actually be dangerous, but having a good solid base of knowledge helps them make better choices.  Just telling your son or daughter to "say no to drugs", is not necessarily going to be enough to stop them accepting drugs from people that they call their friends.  They need to understand about the honest risks and dangers with drugs.  Letting them know that peer pressure is always going to be there, but it takes a stronger person to stand up for themselves.  Real friends respect your decision.

Sheesh!  Still not getting to my "note to self moment"... well, until now.

Yesterday, I took DD to the doctor for her check-up.  I knew that this round was going to consist of getting a shot.  DD hates shots and has perfected the fit of all fits that end up requiring a group of nurses to hold her still in order to give her a shot.  Afterwards, DD proudly states that she got her shot and it was not all that bad...HA!  That just drives me nuts when she does that.  Well, she asked if she was going to get a shot today and I told her, "yes".  She started asking other questions about when is she not required a shot for physicals and I can only tell her that physicals change after she hits puberty.  Well, that just opened a can of worms that requested more information about puberty and what changes a girl goes through.  I took a deep breath and started sharing about the physical changes; the growth of a 'chest', growing hair in places that did not have hair before, the menstrual cycle.  Apparently, I should have left that talk to the doctor because she absolutely freaked!!  Carrying on with tears in her eyes she states that she is afraid of growing up because she does not want to turn into a hairy Sasquatch with big feet.  You see, at the ripe age of 11, she is one tall kid.  She is 3 inches shorter than me and she wears the same size shoes.  She knows that she is still growing and really hates being one of the tallest kids in class.  Just add some hair in a few choice places and she is calling herself a freak.  Oh joy!  The talk about the menstrual cycle was just as bad.  Now she thinks she is going to become a bloody, hair covered freak with big feet.... UGH! 

As I shook my head, dreading the honest discussion I decided to let happen...  I have decided that from now on, I will let the doctor tell her the really grotesque details about a girl nearing puberty.  That was my note to self moment.....