"Small children disturb your sleep, big children your life." ~ Yiddish Proverb

In an attempt to fill some of the holes in the dispatch schedule at work, I've been switching a few of my day shifts back to my beloved evening shift and it has actually worked out pretty well. With Amanda back in school (and apparently not traumatized at the sheer volume of students that attend NFA!) it gives me the opportunity to get a few things done around the house before going into work in the afternoons. Granted, it also cuts into the time that I get to spend with her but it's only a temporary switch and for the past few days she's been on a half day schedule so she's been able to fill me in on her new life as a freshman before I head off to work.

Yes - NFA is huge and there is a crowd of other students (I believe the numbers were put at 2,500 overall with 620 in her freshman class), her classes seem pretty good so far, and I was right - her science teacher is "hot" and apparently has a great sense of humor to boot! I'm just happy that she didn't come home after her first day with the entire student body there and huddle in a corner declaring that she was never going back because it was too overwhelming! She's only two days in but so far she seems happy with her high school experience. Let's see how she feels in two months!

Because she has to get up so early for school, Amanda is in bed by the time I get home so it was very nice when, after what turned out to be a very busy shift, I found the below drawing waiting for me on my bed last night:


As silly as it may seem, I was rather touched to find it there and to know that Amanda had thought about me while I was gone. I'm pretty sure the cat doesn't think about me at all until she hears the key rattle in the lock and starts singing the Empty Food Bowl Blues once again and for quite awhile, the cat was all I had waiting for me at home. And I'm not so sure that she was waiting for me but simply for somebody, anybody, to fill her bowl.

Even though living alone has its advantages - smaller utility bills, less clutter, having the bathroom all to myself, only having to buy groceries once in a great while - I think I much prefer having my daughter here with me and knowing that while I'm gone, she's drawing pictures for me. A lot of teenagers don't want anything to do with their parents - I count myself very lucky that my teenager does.

I've got to disagree with the Yiddish on this one. My life doesn't feel at all disturbed by my "big" children - instead it's more fulfilled.