Sweet Sixteen

Today she turned sixteen!

These are my three beautiful children. Daughter T in a designer dress ,with her two younger brothers. Son K is now the tallest member of the family, parents included and shows no signs of stopping yet. Here they are getting ready for her big party. The two eldest are only twenty-one months apart and at times are more like twins with shared friends and interests. Son S is four years younger than his brother and at the moment the age difference is really showing, not only just in appearances.

It was a long,tiring day for me which ended in a wonderful celebration. Ts friends arrived early in the morning and we set off for Sandton. First stop was to pick-up the cake at Broadacres, then a stop at the hairdresser, followed by an appointment at my sister's nail bar and then lastly off to the venue to set up for the party. Balloons were let go to float on the ceiling, the punches were set out and the disco lights were hung. Finally it was time to change and get everybody "dolled-up".

Their friend Tony was the DJ for the night and kept the party going. T had another pair of DJs (young guys trying to get themselves known) who picked up the atmosphere in the middle of the night and her young guests danced the night away. We paused for supper of Prego rolls, the speciality of this Portuguese restaurant.Her friends made speeches and we cut the cake close to eleven 0'clock. The music kept playing until midnight and then we had to call it a night.

I put all those tired children into the car for the 45 minute journey back home. The car was quiet as we drove back and they all had a nap. Once at the house the excitment was re-awakened and we finally got to sleep after 3am.

By chance the venue that we chose was in the suburb where I lived during my teenage years. It brought back memories of when I was sixteen! Mr G and I met when we were fourteen and have been a couple since we were sixteen! As we drove home I showed the children the narrow bridge that crossed over the highway between the two suburbs where we lived. Mr G would take me home on his MotoX bike over that bridge and it was there that we would wait for the bus to take us to school every day. He to an all boys school and me to an all girls school.

Time passes by so quickly that you dont really keep up with it. It is easy for me to remember those young adult years and the person I was. I dont think many of my ideals have changed since then, only intensified through life experiences, and I have no regrets as I remember what my dreams for where then for the future.

My wish is that my children's teenage dreams come to fruition and that their lives are enriched by the people they have known and are still to meet!