Quote of the Day

"To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness."
Bertrand Russell


I saw this quote in a magazine today and it really struck me. I am in a situation right now where it is so applicable. My daughter has been best friends with a girl since day one of kindergarten...attached at the hip...for ten years. Except that for the past year or two things have gone downhill. So much so that the girls hardly even speak to each other. It's so sad, because I really thought/hoped this would be a lifelong friendship. They got along so well. Had so much fun together. I loved this friendship. Especially since we seemed to have so much in common with the other girl's parents...values, morals, etc. However it is rapidly becoming clear that is not the case after all. The other mom seems to want to be her daughter's friend rather than her mother. She gives her whatever she wants, whenever she wants it. Money and time are no problem. New wardrobe? Sure! Bedroom remodelled again...why not? Fake nails and bleached hair...sure, it's important to look good. Want to bring your boyfriend on vacation? we don't want you to be unhappy, and after all, you are 15 years old. What is left for this child to look forward to if she is getting everything as soon as she wants it?
Thankfully my daughter is smart enough to see through all of this, but that doesn't make it easy to lose a friend. It's been a hard couple of years, but we are finally on the upswing. She has finally discovered her niche at school, is friendly with a great group of kids, and isn't feeling the pressure of fitting in with this other girl anymore. Life is good!
It's hard having a teen-aged daughter sometimes, but it's even harder having to work with the mom of the old "friend." But that, my friends, is a story for another day.