Sixteen!

My youngest, Abi, is sixteen today. It feels like a milestone for both of us! When I think of how poorly she was when she was young and all of the hospitals stays and operations she's had to undergo, I'm still stunned at how she's grown up into this smart, confident and (very) funny young woman. 

She was so shy when she was younger and I guess we'd kind of accepted that was who she was going to be - this retiring little mouse - and then, at a parents' evening, when she was maybe six or seven, the teacher opened our meeting with "Well, Abi's the class comedian, of course!". We thought she had the wrong Abi!

And she's not just smart, she's wise, too. It made me feel old to realise that I was part of the generation that was struggling with issues around gender and more than anyone else whom I've spoken to, Abi was the one who helped me to get my head around it, to grasp it and so accept it in a positive way.

Oddly, perhaps my favourite thing about her of late is the way she has introduced to our family a very joyous way of saying "No!" to things she doesn't want to do. Over the last twenty-nine years I've learnt a lot from all my kids and I love the fact that they're still teaching and inspiring me. 

Some of her sisters are coming to visit tomorrow, so I'll make her cake then. For lunch today, we enjoyed this 'lucky llama' from Tesco. I thought Abi would like it and she did!

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No scales
Reading: 'Circe' by Madeline Miller