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Thirteen Candles

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(Alyssa and Tori…being teenagers)

As a teenager you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you. ~Fran Lebowitz

I am the parent of a teenager. In all truth my daughter Tori does not become a teenager until 8:11 p.m. tonight, but that’s just semantics. Its June 1st and she is thirteen years old today. What on God’s green earth could have possibly happened to the time between her entrance into the world and today? I sure don’t remember thirteen years passing…have I been under some kind of child-induced anesthetic for all these years only to wake up now?!?! Its not that I feel any older today but it sure feels bizarre, this concept of having a teenage child in my house.

My daughter has been a real blessing. All I ever wanted was a little girl and I was so happy and content when my wife gave birth and the doctor announced that we had a daughter. Perhaps that’s why we stopped having kids after just one. We both got what we wanted and decided not to tempt fate? I don’t know but I can say that overall she has been relatively easy to care for and, though she has her ‘moments’, those moments are few and far between. I’ve especially enjoyed her this past year. She is old enough to do things that we want to do without too much complaining and still young enough to enjoy being a child. Like every child she vacillates between wanting to do very grown up things and wanting to be a child. Conversations over the past year have touched on boys and make-up and appropriate standards of dress…typical things that have gone well thus far without causing me too many gray hairs. I find myself wondering today, however, if there is a one-stop shop that sells firearms and chastity belts.

I’m not sure if raising a teenager today is any harder than it was when I was young. Conventional wisdom would say that it is although I remember giving my parents fits during my rebellious years. Time will tell. For now the biggest battles are in trying to find clothes that are “cool” and actually cover more of the body than a small bandaid.

I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do now. ~Will Rogers

Happy Birthday, Tori! You’ve been the child that we’ve always dreamed of and its been such a pleasure to parent you these past 13 years. I love you more than you know and more than I tell you on a daily basis. You make me proud and make me happy that I’m a father. I pray that your teenage years are truly the best time in your life and that you enjoy every moment of them. (And please follow your mother’s teenage example, not mine…please!!!) Enjoy your day of celebration! I love you, sweetie.

22 thoughts on “Thirteen Candles”

  1. Awwwww.
    Happy birthday, Tori. May your teenage years be the start of something truly fantastic.

  2. Happy Birthday!

    My daughter is 13 in August and I know exactly where you are coming from.
    It was only a few weeks ago that I realised, with a small gulp, that if she’s a teenager, that means I really am older than 25 now! How did that happen?

  3. So, Tori, what do you think of your dad’s choice of pictures today? hee, hee

    Happy Birthday, my most favorite teenager in the world! I love you dearly, and I am looking forward to spending the day with you.

  4. Happy 13th to a wonderful niece. Actually, I feel really old b/c I turned 13 exactly 2 months and 2 days after you were born! It has been a joy to watch you grow and turn into your own little person. It has also been a learning experience for me as I watch you and your parents deal with issues that young people face as they mature.

    You are a lot of fun to hang out with and I wish you a very happy b-day!!

    Love you!
    Abby

  7. Hi Tori. guess what happened yesterday ? mommy got soaked
    because Lydia sprayed mommy and Mommy sprayed Lydia back.

    happy birthday Tori I will see you tomorrow.

  8. you are the awsomest person ever in the history of people.
    i luv ya like a fat kid loves cake & chocalate fondu for that matter.
    see ya in the mirror, or in a cooooool photo or that magazine article
    you published this week.so we up for friday night dinner watching tv.
    or your coffee house called sonopree, or in english sonoppreee.
    your hot, hotter, hottest, hottie, hottieost, HHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTT;)
    HHHHHHHHHHHOOoooOOOOoooOOOOTTTtttttTTTTTTT!!!!

  11. Happy B-day, Tori!

    Tori is the name of my 3-year old neice. (Or is she 4 already?) I can’t even imagine the day she becomes a teenager. I wish you good luck, Carl – i gave my parents hell when i was a teenager.

  12. Happy Birthday, Tori!

    Family is forever. No one could love you more.
    Good girlfriends are life’s greatest of gifts. They are irreplaceable.
    Boys lie.

  14. I was wondering, I had hoped Jessica hadn’t had that eye-opening experience with boys yet!

  16. Happy, happy birthday,Tori! Grandpa and I love you so much!! You are a beautiful young lady and boy are we proud of you. I can hardly believe we have two teen-age granddaughters already. Are we getting old or what??? Next time we see you would you mind interpreting your reply on this web site-I don’t understand!!! Is this a new language? Please clue me in! Have a great day sweetie, we love you bunches!!!! Your Grandparents.

  17. Happy Birthday Tori,

    With such a geeky dad, it’s amazing you seem to have turned out so cool….

    (Er…Carl, put the lightsabre down, I was only kidding….Carl…..CARL!!!!!!….)

  19. Happy Birthday Tori!

    I would add that your father and I talk about our families lots of times at the comics store and he always lights up when he talks about your accomplishments ( Of course we do talk A LOT about comics, movies, artist’s, etc. – yes we are geeks 🙂 ). He is very proud of you.

    I wish you all the best through your teenage years!

    Jeff – The Comic Book Guy 🙂

  21. There really weren’t any doubts, machine, but thanks for admitting it…that is the first step!

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