It’s Kind of Heartbreaking Really

Tweet

It’s kind of heartbreaking really, the little girl that exuded confidence, that loved to make others laugh, is almost unrecognizable, I miss her, and that confidence, the way she reached out to others. I know the preteens are a hard time, I lived through them, many years ago, and watched my older niece go through them, but she grapples with so much now, I have made it clear she’s free to come here, I want her to know she has a safe place, but there are rules, rules and limitations not really placed on her at home. I won’t let her walk far alone, she’s twelve and sadly we live in a world where girls her age aren’t safe. When she’s outside with friends, I check on her every so often, and there are places I won’t let her go, it’s only been in the last sixteen months or so that she’s had an issue with this. I gave her an ipad last year, my old one for school, it wasn’t even that old, but a few months ago when it was broken I refused to replace it. I just couldn’t reward bad behavior, not that she was the one that broke it, but it was her other actions, like not doing assignments and that sort of thing that made me say no, not to mention iPads are expensive, and I’m not passing them out like candy. But I do really miss that happy little girl, the one who used to be silly, the one who loved to make others laugh, and the one that actually listened.