{"id":13418,"date":"2016-02-24T22:42:39","date_gmt":"2016-02-24T22:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=13418"},"modified":"2016-02-25T13:00:22","modified_gmt":"2016-02-25T13:00:22","slug":"eleven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/eleven\/","title":{"rendered":"Eleven"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Like a lot of aspects of life when you have a small baby, this post is slightly later than hoped.<\/p>\n

You know what it\u2019s like.\u00a0\u00a0 You plan on getting something done, a tiny person has other ideas, and before you know it the thing that you had planned to do a week or so ago is still waiting to be done.\u00a0 It\u2019s a kind of natural law when it comes to babies, things that need doing, and time.\u00a0\u00a0 But, like in many other aspects of life, it\u2019s completely better to do something late than never – especially when it\u2019s to mark the eleventh birthday of your eldest child.\u00a0 \u00a0When it comes to her baby brother, she would probably forgive him anything anyway.\u00a0 She possibly wouldn’t even mind if I didn’t get time to write such commemorative birthday marking posts until she was around thirty-five.<\/p>\n

But Eleven.\u00a0\u00a0 E-LEVEN? \u00a0 It doesn’t even sound right yet.\u00a0\u00a0 How can the child that taught me how to be a mother be such an age already?\u00a0\u00a0 Where did the endless days of early parenthood go?\u00a0 How can it be that even the earliest new born days seem like one or two years ago at the very most, her toddler years in our first real family home in South West London seem like months, and Copenhagen and beyond at times (just at times) seem like only weeks ago? \u00a0But here we are…<\/p>\n

And although she is most definitely not my Small Girl anymore, she will always be my baby (even when she\u2019s thirty-five!).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This past year hasn’t been the easiest in terms of change, \u00a0both at home and at school. \u00a0From the usual transitional nature of Expat friendships that saw her lose two really close friends to new countries, the rather turbulent arrival of a new sibling<\/a>, \u00a0and the prospect of leaving Primary School in what is (when you think about it) only a few weeks time.\u00a0\u00a0 Then there\u2019s the fact that we are going through a \u201ccrystal ball would be nice\u201d phase when we try to work out where we will be going next, and yet despite it all, she takes everything in her stride – which is more than her mother does at times, believe me.<\/p>\n

A little note to her directly, as has been the tradition in previous years\u2026<\/p>\n

My lovely girl, I am so proud of you.\u00a0\u00a0 Although from time to time we might catch glimpses of the traditional teenage mother and daughter spats to come, I hope they remain few and far between.\u00a0 You are too funny to remain cross with for long whatever the situation anyway.\u00a0 You are kind and compassionate, fiercely loyal to those you love, and always passionate about fairness in an often sad and unjust world.\u00a0\u00a0 You want to make a difference.\u00a0 I am sure you will.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

As I was leaving school last week I noticed a poster glued firmly to the front of your locker, underneath your name you had written \u201cFuture Prime Minister of England\u201d.\u00a0 While it made me laugh at something so typically you, if you achieve your ambition my sweet, the world will truly be a better place<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"owl<\/a><\/p>\n

No-one’s too old for Owl Cakes…<\/p>\n

Share me:<\/h3>