so the other night my girlfriend, jess, mentioned something about me brainwashing people. hail was walking by and said, "she brainwashed me."
me: no, i didn't. i gave you the information and then you made your own choices. i have always let you make your own choices and you know it. would you rather be like everyone else? (insert my getting defensive tone)
h: no, but you did shelter me.
me: HOW???
h: mom, i have never even had lucky charms!
me: but you have had frosted flakes and cocoa pebbles.
h: but mom, the other night john was going on and on about lucky charms and i had to admit that i had never tasted them. even john has tasted lucky charms and john has never been to school and his mom is a hippie! i am 18 years old and i have never even tasted lucky charms because you wouldn't buy them. and what about the night i was at mike's house and he asked me if i wanted a hot pocket. i didn't know what a hot pocket was. you know how embarrassing that is?
syd: what's a hot pocket?
hailey has grown up in protests and rallies and hanging with my friends and going to fest. she has traveled the country with me and spent her childhood hanging out with musicians, artists and assorted freaks. she has been taught that she controls her sexuality. she has had boyfriends and girlfriends and both at the same time. she has had her hair every color you can think of and has always been allowed to paint and write on her walls. she has not had a bedtime since she was 8 and never been forced to eat food she didn't like. she has read bust and bitch since she was 13...and she is sheltered.
when i pointed this all out she did admit that people are fascinated by the life she has led in her 18 short years. she admitted that she has lived more and done more than anyone she knows, but she thinks she would like to try some lucky charms.
i wonder if she is ready for them. i wonder if she is mature enough to handle the lucky charms and not get sucked into the corporate brainwashing they are sure invoke. will she be able to handle the sugar high? it is so hard to just let go and trust our children.
my little girl is growing up.
being a parent is so complicated.
my kids are insane.
hailey is getting a box of lucky charms for solstice.
