Happy Sweet 16!

My niece turned 16 and was gracious enough to involve the family in her big celebration. Not a typical teenager, this girl is an absolute sweetie- pie and she always has been. She is soft-spoken, considerate and thoughtful. While she often dresses in black, it certainly doesn't reflect her mood or her outlook. In fact, I would describe her as sunny though I know better than to suggest she dress in yellow. (Girls get beat up at high school too after all.)


Her arrival was my introduction to aunt-hood. I didn't realize how attached I would become to other people's kids until the first time I held her in my arms. Before she came, I thought babies were breakable little fussy packages that communicated their needs largely through sound and smell. I remember thinking that they were too much responsibility and too much work. What I didn't know at the time, was that they also enrich your lives by filling them with love and pride. I remember her baptism, learning to sit on her own, toddling around as she learned to walk, the first year she really "got Christmas," being a flower girl in my wedding, her first school pictures, when her mom re-decorated her bedroom from "baby" to "big-girl", summers at the cottage, and the first time she babysat for my kids. I can hardly believe it's been 16 years.



My Message for You

You've grown up to be an absolute darling. I know your Mom & Dad are very proud of you and, in fact, we all are. I don't have a lot of advice for you because I think you have a big heart and a good head on your shoulders. That said, being a teenager is going to be amazing at times and arduous at others. The trick to surviving it with your dignity intact is to keep your eye on the prize which lies at the end of your teen-age years. Here are a few tips from me to you:
Decide what kind of person you want to be. What do you want people to say about you? Write that all down somewhere so that you will read it every day. (Consider these areas of your life -- spiritual, health, family, career, adventure, financial and community.)

Trust your instincts. If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Not following the crowd might get you some unwanted attention for a short while, but it passes. Doing something you're uncomfortable with will take longer to work through.

Be your own best friend. If you make a mistake, don't beat yourself up. We all make mistakes, you know that. It's not the absence of mistakes, but rather what you learn from your mistakes that makes you a better person. Forgive yourself and move forward.

Set some goals. I know, I know, it sounds stupid. But think of it as a road map because here's the thing...you are going to make a tonne of decisions in the next few years: who you hang out with; what college to attend; who to date; which jobs to take; which body parts you aren't going to pierce, etc., etc. It's a whole lot easier to make decisions when you know where you are want to go in life. For example, if you hope to head-up a Fortune 500 Company, you might want to re-think tattoos on any body part that isn't customarily covered by clothing, like...say...your face.

And finally...

Respect yourself. If you do, so will everyone else.

Congratulations again Sweet 16! I hope you had a great birthday. Thanks for asking us to help you celebrate. It is an important milestone and we were all happy to share in it with you.

With love.