All the Pretty Horses

After being a parent to a twelve year old girl, I have come to the conclusion that its like breaking a horse in.

You need to focus on the rules and expectations to start with, learning the correct way to do things and correct expectations on behaviour. You can't just gallop through life headfirst and pray you don't hit something. Start by taking quiet steps into the world, stretch your legs after you have stretched your mind and it will all come together.

Caitie is at the stage where we are galloping into puberty and its like trying to hold onto a galloping horse. You need all of your skill to pull those reigns in tight, and then let them slip a bit, pull them in tight and let them slip a bit. At her age there is more tight than slip. Occasionally, we will let the reins go fully and she can have a glorious gallop through freedom from responsibility but we always come back and tighten them up again.

Tony is hopeless at this little game. He wants to keep those reigns tight at all times, directing her constantly through her life, correcting her and pulling her back into line but if you don't relax the reins, how will you know if the lesson is learnt???

With her father, Caitie is in constant battle with him, pulling at those reins and seeing how much give they have. She is literally chaffing at the bit to try and get away with as much as possible. With me, the reins aren't as tight and she gets away with that little bit more. Sometimes she runs with the bit and I have to haul her back in but its not a regular occurence.

I see some of her classmates who haven't got the same respect for their parents that our children do. Twelve year old girls turning up at school wearing more makeup than their mothers do. Thick eyeliner, short skirts and attitudes up the bazooka. It will make for an intersting dynamic next year as Caitie heads for the Teenager Target.

I know Caitie is not as mature as her classmates and I can only hope that my Pretty Pony can handle herself amongst all the Pretty Horses.

Cin