At seventeen.

When I was growing up, there was a song, “At Seventeen” sung by Janis Ian. The song was about the challenges age 17 bring to girls and boys---but in this song the focus was on girls. It was a very sad song, actually depressing, about a girl who set her sights on the unachievable and in her mind she felt very unpopular and ugly.

In our home we are very fortunate; yes our daughters claim to be unpopular and ugly at times, but I can assure you, and them, they are not. They have a circle, a broad one, of friends and under no circumstances would they be seen as ugly. But, like all sisters and daughters, when they fight and argue, it does get ugly---but that’s a different type of ugliness, as we all know as parents.

Our 17-year old is named Cheney. We do not share the same last name, but you would be hard pressed to know she is not my biological daughter. She has really shown us that she can rise above the crowd at times by making incredible grades (I don’t know how she does it with the hours she keeps) and her college prep test scores are reflecting the grades she is making in school. In other words, the grades are no fluke.

Cheney has really broadened her presence since I came into her world and vice versa. She is not as shy as she was when I first met her---yes she does put on the sweet/shy act when necessary, but she has come out of her shell. She needed to and she has responded well. How did it happen? Part maturity, part boys, and part freedom. Like fools at times, we do give her more rope than we should. She is a good person, she is unfortunately a teenager; not her fault but she does do some things that we have to question at times. But then again, she is taking many of the responsibilities---school, driving, work seriously. A very good thing.

Since I came into Cheney’s life more than 8 years ago, I have witnessed her turn into a woman; sure she has some growing up to do, but when you look at how she has grown and the role she plays in the household, I am very proud of what she has overcome. Like my kids from my first marriage, she had to accept a new person coming into her life---it has taken time, but it works. As I have told her countless times, when you get married, just not yet, "I will be walking you down the aisle." Her Dad is more than welcome to join us---we will both escort her.

The photo above was taken on Cheney’s 17^th birthday. Similar to other birthdays in our home, we turn down the lights, light the candles, and the trusty ol’Nikon goes to work; I love these photos---they glow and are so full of life in an interesting way. Life is not always easy, and I know it’s not easy being a kid---especially at 17.

Thanks for stopping by.