Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Mini-Me

Last night I picked Mandy up from hanging out with her boyfriend.

Yes, she’s fourteen years old (15 next month) and she has a boyfriend. At first I thought it was so cute! She came home one night from the local arcade, all smiley and blushy and giggly, and she told me that this boy Mike had asked her out.

“What did you say?!”

“I said yes!”

“Woooooow! Mandy has her first boyfriend!”

Little did I know that it would be a long-term relationship. They’ve been together for over a year now. Actually, a year three months and two days if you ask either one of them. Had I only known, I might have considered telling her that she isn’t allowed to date until she’s sixteen. Hindsight is 20/20.

I mean, my first relationship lasted a month and a half. For our one-month anniversary Jarod gave me a little silver chain with a little silver “T” on it. I had never gotten a gift from a boy before. I was smitten! I couldn’t wait to see what he gave me for our “two-month”.

He dumped me two weeks later. First love was so fleeting for me.

But I do like Mandy’s boyfriend. He’s a nice kid and they are best friends.

So anyway, we are in the car last night, and she is telling me about this girl Pam at school that she doesn’t like. Pam is best-buddies with Mike’s ex-girlfriend, and she’s always so “fake.” One of those high-school girls that pretends to be your friend just so she can gather up enough dirt on you to throw in your face at some later time, hopefully in front of all the popular kids.
You remember these girls, the ones with their noses high in the air. The ones who will kick you when you’re down, or at least point and laugh. The ones who always try to hang out with the in-crowd and act so cool, so it makes you wonder what they’re up to when they come over and start talking to you.

“I know the type,” I tell her.

“She says stuff like, ‘Soooooooo, how’s the BOY Fa-RIEND’ all exaggerated and everything,” Mandy tells me.

My reply and Mandy’s reaction to her own story were identical: “Oh Puh-leeze!”

We even said it the same way and at the same time. It was probably one of those instances where you’re supposed to smack the other person and shout “jinx” or something like that. I forget how it goes. It’s been a long time since I was in school.

Anyway, I’m chuckling at this aligned response. We’ve done this so many times before. Mandy is just shaking her head.

“Congratulations, Mom. You’ve raised a little YOU.”

8 comments:

Nikki Neurotic said...

Very Gilmore Girl's like...I don't think I've ever done that with my mother, nor my dad (whom I'm closer to).

Erica Ann Putis said...

That's cute... She sounds sweet and it's nice that you guys seem to have such a good relationship. :)

Tammie Jean said...

Hi Silverneurotic! That's funny - a friend of mine told me I should watch the Gilmore Girls because my daughter & I remind him of the show. I've never seen it... I'll have to check it out!


Hi Erica! We have a great relationship actually. She will tell me anything and everything. It's actually much different than the relationship I had with my mother. I think it's because I was a single mom for so long - we just had each other.

echo said...

LOL! I am so anticipating and dreading the time my little girls have boyfriends. Thankfully, that's still quite a ways from now (they're 7 and 5).

I loved my first boyfriend with all the love that my teenage heart could hold. But he dumped me after a month, lol. Took a while for me to recover. I'll blog about it someday.

It's good to know that you like Mandy's boyfriend. You are so cool.

Lizza said...

Okay, that was me in the comment by "echo." Sorry about that. :-(

Tammie Jean said...

Hi Lizza/Echo! :)
Yes, Mandy's boyfriend is a good kid, which is nice. It is a little nerve-racking, of course, that they've been together for so long and she is turning 15 and... I guess all I can do is keep the lines of communication open, right?

:O

CS said...

My son had a girlfriend last year (at 12!) - it consisted of holding hands, going to dances and exchanging Christmas and Valentine's gifts. The whole thing lasted about 6 months and absolutely floored me.

Tammie Jean said...

Hi CSL! Wow, six months is a long time at 12 years old. I think, though, that maybe it's a sign of having good relationships in their own lives already, whether that be with their parents, or siblings, or close friends. I know my daughter has very nice family relationships and loves with all her heart, even though she didn't (for most of her life) grow up with the perfect mom/dad relationship as an example.