Josephine is Fourteen

Josephine is fourteen.  I worry a lot about my ladies as teenagers.  I worry about their friends, their grades, their friends' grades....I worry about their self esteem, their confidence and their sense of well being.  We are not a wealthy family.  We shop at thrift stores and we live paycheck to paycheck.  In this world of peer pressure and validation, it is troubling to know that your daughter is out there, everyday, fighting for herself in a world that would sooner trample her down.

Not this one.  Not Josephine.  Our fourth daughter is a feisty thing.  She has matured over the past year from a quiet little homebody to an opinionated, keep-up-or-get-out-of-my-way force.  She used to always need a hobby at home to keep her bright mind occupied.  These days she is planning with friends, talking on the phone with boys and constantly interrogating me on our plans for three weeks from now.  She tries to stay one step ahead of me as much as she can.  Recently she told me not just what she wanted for Christmas (a platform bed), but, also how to build it, where to find the materials and a few websites I might find helpful.  This lady of ours is on the move.

Her grades are outstanding - all STEM, all As, all the time.  Her teachers have sent me notes about how she is a joy in class because she thinks independently (English) and that she helps others in class and explains concepts patiently and accurately (algebra).  She studies; she reads; she questions.  I can count on her to wake up with just a text from Mom and an alarm on her phone, then be out the door and catch her bus on time.  She can draw; she loves school and she never stops.  She is kind to her little brother while trying to keep up with her older sisters.

Josephine wants to go to college and be either an interior designer or an oceanographer - depends on her mood.  She may just do both.