Light Refreshments Served

Tomorrow, my youngest daughter celebrates her 17th birthday. In honor of the occasion, I am taking the Whole Day Off. We will go shopping, take my mom to lunch, and attend a matinee of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. (We prepared for this last night by renting Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1, after kicking all the men out of the house so they couldn’t come in making shmoopy noises right at the most romantic parts.) Then, in the evening, we will go miniature golfing and end up in the batting cages. (That is, the children will end up in the batting cages, and possibly their father. I will sit on a bench outside the batting cages and cheer supportively.)
I find myself feeling really grateful that Sylvia is still young enough to want to spend a day this way. Next year at this time, I expect we’ll be moving her into a dorm room or a student apartment somewhere. And as early as next week, she’ll be driving herself off to the high school for the first day of her senior year. I’ll say goodbye at the door of the house instead of the door of the school, and we may cross paths in the evening sometimes if she doesn’t have a study group or a madrigal performance or a seminary council meeting or Mutual or work.
But, just for tomorrow, we’ll be seventeen-going-on-twelve, and we’re going to love it for all it’s worth. It’s worth more than she knows.