I kept a diary from the time I received one for my 9th birthday until I was 29 years old.  I literally wrote in it EVERYDAY. It was the one special birthday gift I looked forward to annually and it became an extension of my being.  My diaries were such a part of my normal routine, like brushing my teeth,  nightly, I relished writing and recapturing the days activities. 

I enjoy visiting those old journals every now and then.  Especially the ones where I have to remind myself that as my dear friend, Cecilia, pointed out, my daughter's puberty can't trump my beginning menopause.  When I reflect on where I was at her tender age of 10, I am more patient as I know I was just as challenging for my mother. I was reading an old journal the other day and was reminded of the time in my 7th grade class at St. Therese, I had become the class clown.  Full of myself, sitting in the back of the class, telling jokes, the principal Sr. Sheila was subbing and had had enough of me.  I was trying to come up with a better excuse to tell my parents why  D stood for Dana on my final Social Studies grade.  I had already been banned from going to the Brother's Johnson concert for refusing to wear a rain coat. Even though it was a blustery rainy night, I refused to cover up my hot burgundy ensemble with a hideous rain coat.  I was astounded as Uncle Boo drove my cousin Lori to the show and left me!  There wasn't much more they could take away from me, I reasoned and shrugged it off.   They would have to just deal with the D!

Suddenly there was a knock at the classroom door, Sr. Sheila opened it and in walked my mother.
 As I stood to greet Mama and see just what I'd forgotten- my lunch, the rain coat again, I was told to take a seat.  My mother stood before all 24 of my classmates, peers, and partners in class crimes - (namely Trina) and announced that the boys would be banned from calling my house.  She went on to share that I was too young to be accepting calls from the boys and that I should be concentrating on my studies.  I was then asked to relocate to the front of the classroom right under Sr. Sheila's nostrils.  I learned my lesson that day, and yes, my D went to a B+!  My lesson, Puberty never trumps Menopause!

 That's me as a menopausbarbeebaby top row in pink