The Stop Button

When I was a little girl, my dad used to pull me onto his lap in the EZ chair and tell me that there was a button in my ear that would make me stop growing. He would always threaten to push it. Looking back on it, I guess it was sweet but at the time it scared the H out of me. What could be more scary to a kid than staying little while everyone around you grows up? And that was just one of the ways he messed with my head when I was small. The others included him putting a nylon stocking over his head, silently entering a room, and not answering when me and my sisters would be all, "Cut it out, dad! Dad? Is that really you? DAAAAAD!" (This he did for kicks. Sicko.)

My childhood was warped in many ways, I tell you.

Many ways.

Anyway, this has been a big week for us in our nutty household. 9 had his 14th birthday and Princess G had her "Farewell to Kindergarten" program at school. Can someone please tell me how can it be that this kid, who looked like this when I married his dad......

be as tall as me with broad shoulders and a deep voice?

And how could my little baby girl, who once looked like this.....

now be big enough to do this?

Someone push the STOP button, fast!

Please? Because I'm pretty sure my heart will be in pieces by the time Roo is 18.

You all have a good night!