First phase of "the talk" with Emily

     Tonight I spent an hour tucked away with my daughter.  Little comments here and there.  Odd questions popping up.  She IS nine.  So, I took the opportunity to grab a great little book I found at the library.  It was designed as an introduction to the challenges of being a girl and it did a fine job.  We discussed grooming and growth.  We talked about emotions and hormones.  We reviewed various body parts and what would be happening to them.  Tatas and hoo hoos.  (Oh relax...I used all of the proper terminologies.) I even went deeper and talked about stress reduction and the tools to deal with what life throws at you.  I geared it toward a little girl but didn't treat her like a baby.  I have been laying the bricks of a strong foundation for years for a mother and daughter relationship that is honest, loving and kind.  I will welcome whatever she has to ask about or discuss.  These little talks, though somewhat uncomfortable, are just a sampling of the bigger ones to follow someday.   I was proud of her for being mature and intelligent.  I was proud of me for being so comfortable in my own skin that we could discuss anything that came up.  I want to be everything my mother was to me and everything she wasn't.  We are off to a great start.