Tuesday, July 27, 2010

A Kid in an Adult World

Beth will be 26 in a couple of months. Twenty six. When I was 26 I had already been married for 5 years and had 2 kids. Beth is 26 and is in love with Nick Jonas. I mean love love. There is a huge poster hanging above her bed. When she watches their TV show, she can be heard sobbing (shoulder shaking, snot blowing, sobbing) because Nick kissed a girl on the show.

Beth wears a size 5 shoe. Size 5 is that magical size that can be both adult and child. It is so hard to buy an adult looking shoe in that size. Beth doesn't want princess shoes, she wants adult shoes.

Beth loves to write and color and draw. She wants to color flowers and write names. Don't give her a Sponge Bob color book. That's for kids. She wants lined paper. Notebooks preferably. And all the markers you can carry.

Beth is 26 and she knows it. She knows she is an adult. Old enough to make her own decisions. Only, she won't make them. I found her this morning - 6 AM - asleep on the floor in her livingroom. She was sitting up with her forehead resting on the couch. I don't know how long she had been asleep like that. It definitely didn't look comfortable! But she's an adult and she thinks I can't tell her when to go to bed. She'll sleep when she wants, where she wants.

Every day she walks to the corner store by our house. She tries to sneak out, sometimes going out the back door. Ever so quietly so I don't hear. She walks to the store for her daily dose of marshmellows and soda. I've tried talking to her, encouraging her to buy some milk or granola bars instead. Some days she'll listen. But she's an adult and she knows it!

She likes to shop by herself. We go to the mall and once inside the door she'll tell me, "I have my cell phone" and away she goes. She loves going shopping with me, but she hates me shopping with her. Usually I make her at least stay in the same store as me but she'll go to a different department. After a few minutes she'll call me to ask where I am.

She has so many child like qualities, as expected. But she's wanting to navigate this world alone and that scares me! Just because she's an adult now. She's almost 26 you know.

2 comments:

Anne and Whitney: Up, Down and All Around said...

oh this is so tough - there is a word for this but i can't think of it (catch 22?) i hope you and beth can navigate her independence in an adult world combined with her love of things that are still more "teen" like? :) thanks for sharing - it is good to read this stuff ahead of time (since whitney is about to turn 2 we are still a few years away from this type of situation.)

Michelle said...

I also wanted to say thanks for sharing! I'm wondering already how to 'handle' or 'deal' with things like this when Kayla is an adult. Giving her enough freedom to be independent ... but still 'watching out' for her so to speak.