Amanda Lamb: Fourteen

As we get older, birthdays don't seem matter as much. Sure, there are the milestone birthdays that end in zero, but, other than that, they usually slip by pretty much unnoticed except for maybe a small celebration with family or close friends.

But when you're a child, EVERY birthday counts.

This past weekend was my daughter's 14th birthday. It began with a family 5K, breakfast at one of her favorite restaurants, an afternoon with one group of friends and dinner with another group. Basically, all of her waking hours involved celebrating her birthday. 

I don't remember turning fourteen specifically, but I do remember that time in the teen years where you are no longer a little girl, yet not quite yet a woman. In a way, it's the last full year of still being allowed to act like a little girl as you prepare yourself to turn into a young woman. It can also be a time of great anxiety as you prepare to cross the bridge from one phase of life to the next.

Frankly, I can't believe my little girl is 14 already. Just yesterday, she was a round, cherub-faced toddler with sprigs of blond hair going in every direction running around the house like a whirling dervish.

I hope my daughter is listening ...