Basking In The Afterglow

I took Butterfly out to dinner tonight. We have a regular Mother-Daughter Date Night together that I try to guard jealously, usually scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month. These evenings often involve Chinese food and shopping. Tonight we shared pork fried rice, beef sticks and pot stickers. She got her usual virgin Pina Colada, and I had my usual Chinese Food Chardonnay, the only white wine that restaurant apparently carries. Then we went to Ulta to indulge in some makeup purchasing.

We have done these Mother-Daughter Date Nights since her sophomore year; my attempt to find a way to connect and bond and have fun with my teenage daughter. I continue to be surprised at how much she looks forward to them. I expected that tonight we would follow the usual routine during dinner; I would be an audience to Butterfly’s monologue about her social life and her upcoming Prom. But I was surprised tonight with the depth of our conversation. She talked about God, and unsafe friendships, and feeling alone and misunderstood in the midst of a particular group she participates in. She talked about friendships that she values deeply; those that make her feel accepted and loved and safe. And I shared about mine.

It was good. I am proud of her inner strength and maturity. She astounds me at times with the wisdom she possesses. And her depth of insight into people. It was really good. I am proud of the young woman she is becoming. There are some very difficult seasons in parenting teenagers. But like finding a piece of sea glass on the sandy beach, I will snatch up these precious moments when I find them, and hold them close to my heart.