Joys of Parenting a GIRL

I am sure that many new parents had the same feeling we did when we first came home from the hospital with this tiny little person we named Riley...the anxiety of being able to properly care for them...the fear that we wouldn't be able to provide her with everything she would need in life...and knowing the scary possibility that this little baby girl would eventually grow to be the inquisitive Kindergartner she is today.

I remember that Ryan would get advice from his friends to work out more (so he could fend off the young men that may pursue her in the future) and I was told that I was in for it because she was going to be even more high maintenance than I was! They weren't wrong!

Riley and I had this deep talk yesterday morning before I dropped her off at school - which is 5 minutes away. The convo went a little like this:

Riley: Momma, I can't wait until I turn 6 years old.

Me: I know you are excited Riley. Don't wish it to come too soon. I want you to be 5 years old forever.

Riley: What can I have when I'm 6?

Me: You mean a present? What do you want?

Riley: A CELL PHONE. A real one.

Me: Why do you need a cell phone? Everyone you know is right here, in your house.

Riley: No, I need to call my friends, so we can go out.

Me: We'll see. (And I'm thinking in my head...Ryan is gonna freak out when he hears this!)

This all comes after her first phone call from a boy named Owen last week. I about had an aneurism when I heard him ask for Riley. The best part of that call was when I handed Riley the phone, she walked into her bedroom and shut the door. Oh yeah, she did.

I didn't think it started this young. I thought that girls and boys were "icky" until like, college. How naive am I? Riley then proceeded to make plans the next day with Owen at school to go to open gym at gymnastics -- where, we we arrived he hugged her and then left her in the dust to play rough with the boys. I felt bad for her, standing there, looking like she was stood up...and after asking her a dozen times if she wanted to leave, but the girl opted to stay and ended up having a blast making new friends.

It's just crazy to me that this all happens now. I don't remember any of it when I was her age, probably because my main concern was learning English or something...but man, it is scary.

I think I just want her to be this little forever....