A New Era

My daughter is growing up and we are entering a new era. The teenage world has taken hold and we are deep into it now.

It started slowly. The preteen stuff like crushes on TV personalities and boy bands moved quickly into alternative music -- Say Anything, Deathcab for Cutie and Hello Goodbye. I am even impressed that I know the names of the bands and even one or two of their songs! Thanks to Sirius Radio and the Alt Nation station.

The cute little elementary schoolboy crushes have developed into dating. Do we let her get into a boy's car yet? NO! We make sure that we drive her to the location and pick her up too. It has created a whole new Saturday evening outing for Joel and me. We actually have to be creative to figure out what to do so that we don't end up driving massive amounts of miles.

One weekend we dropped Rachel off at the movies and then went to our friend's house and cooked dinner for her. Another weekend we dropped Rachel at her Homecoming Dance and we went out to dinner and then hung out at Border's under the dance was over. So this weekend we dropped her off at Revolution. A club where all of the alternative bands play. It was with a whole lot of trepidation that we did that. We walked across the street to the Las Olas Riverfront and went to the movies. Two actually. We saw "Stranger Than Fiction" (it was okay) and a Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival film -- "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With" (this one was funny).

By this time it was time to pick up Rachel. As we walked towards Rachel and her friend, Andrea. I saw a spark in her eyes that I haven't seen since she was a little girl and set her eyes on the Christmas Tree and all the presents underneath. She was alive. She was hot and sweaty too, but she had such a great time.

It brought me back to the times that I used to go to the Nassau Colliseum to see Jackson Browne or Loggins and Messina or James Taylor or the Moody Blues. I used to feel that spark of excitement of seeing your favorite band of the month -- live, right in front of you! Okay, so the music was a lot different. But the premise was the same.

Yeah, my baby is growing up. She still has a long way to go, but it is fun watching the process.