Six and Sixteen

The reasons why I love the fact that Casey just turned 16 instead of 6, even though I LOVED Casey at 6:

1)  When she was six and we went swimming, I held her hand in the kiddie area as she tentatively splashed, while I was seriously freezing unless the sun was strong enough to warm my back.  Secretly, I was wishing I could go lie in the sun and read my book, 'cause I'm just that kind of great mom. ;)

Now that she is sixteen, either she and I swim laps together (well, next to each other, since she easily smokes me at every stroke), or she drives herself to the rec center and swims laps while I am busy elsewhere.

2)  When she was six, we took her to lunch at McDonald's and ate Happy Meals while she played in the balls, and went down the slides being careful to avoid the throw-up on the big one.

Now that she is sixteen, we went to lunch at India House, ate some wicked Indian food, and talked philosophy:  do things happen for a reason, or do we find reason in things that happen?

3)  When she was six, we had a "freaking fun party ", according to one party attendee.  It was a wonderful, but exhausting party with neighborhood friends, as we spent the entire time desperately trying to keep the kids interested and active until we could load them up with sugar in the form of a Barbie cake.

Now that she is sixteen, she chose to go to Lagoon with her friends, and as for any family party, she just asked Dave and I to take her to see The Dark Knight Rises, complete with popcorn and soda for dinner.

4) When she was six, we got to watch the amazing process of a child learning to read, of putting sounds together and watching them magically turn into words.  She hated homework and needed lots of creative incentives to get it done.  She also loved math the most!

Now that she is sixteen, we have a rule (well, we used to, we haven't enforced it for years) that she can't read until her homework is done, because she inhales three or four novels a week.  She even read "Deerslayer" by James Fenimore Cooper for FUN.  She still doesn't like homework, but is extremely dedicated to getting it done. . . ahead of the due date.  And, even though she is taking Calculus this year, it is NOT her favorite subject.

5)  When she was six, she loved to write, and she was very descriptive in her writing.  We even used to play "the simile game".  I would start a simile, i.e. "The snow is shining on the sidewalk like. . ." and she would finish it with, ". . . a thousand stars."  It was one of her favorite games - and mine.

Now that she is sixteen, Casey still loves to write, and hopes to be a writer and/or an editor when she grows up.  She has written dozens of poems, and many stories. On Goodreads, a few authors have even requested for her to be their "friend" because she is so well-read in their genre.

This poem is one of the dozens Casey has written. It was published in her school's writing magazine last year.

Frozen
Talk,
Wrenching out.
Words unwanted
Hidden,
Brought to light.
Tears,
Falling, shattering
Ice Drops.
Twice the sound,
Enhanced
The effect.
Warm;
One step,
Cold,
To the bone.
Ice through throat,
Snow over eyes.
Freezing slowly
Hope's warmth;
Iced
Deep within.

Casey is a deep thinker who asks deep, intelligent questions for which I only sometimes have the answers.  She often reads the scriptures in a new and different way that challenges me to look again.  It has been so fun having our relationship morph from mother/young daughter, to more of an adult relationship.

I loved my little Casey when she was six, but it is truly a joy to be her mother at sixteen.