Just Proud

My Girl doesn't often bring her homework to our house so I can look at it.  There are a variety of reasons for this.  So, now that she's in high school, I didn't expect any different.  But she did this weekend.  She kept asking me if I was going to look at her class binders, so I could see how she's "rockin'" in her classes. 

So, after dinner tonight, we sat down and I started browsing through her work.  Again, she never brings her stuff over, typically leaving it all with her bio-mom.  So, I spent a great deal of time reading and commenting.  About half-way through she said to me, "My mom just looks at it quickly, then gets distracted and says, "good job" and then sets it aside."  I wasn't intending to "compete" with how her mom looks at her work; I really was interested... but I felt both good (that I was taking the time) and bad (that her bio-mom doesn't).  

We talked about classes that are tough (social studies) and some that are "easy" (english/language arts) and I was shocked when I saw some of the stories and poems she had read this year (she hates reading).  Her written stories and poems were awesome and I told her how talented she was.  Of course, like most people, she doesn't think she is.  She got up to refill both of our waters and I was just overflowing... I said, "I'm SO proud of you."  She didn't look at me, but there was a slight pause, and then a quiet "thank you". 

You know, I'm not sure her bio-mom has ever said that to her.

But I can't better describe the feeling I had in my heart that moment, as we talked through her other classes, pointing out some things that she needs to remember in each subject because she will use them now, and briefly landing on college topics.

I am so glad that even though she's in the throes of her teen years, that we are having such good moments... such good pieces of our relationship.  It's so nice after the last 5 or so years that have been so rocky between us. 

And I really am just so proud of her.