Carrie Cox’s Corner

Daughter, today you are ten plus four.

When I saw your cake, I thought

“Oh No, there is a mistake!” I swore,

That number can’t be right.

There aren’t even enough candles to light.

And then we realized you were turning fourteen,

For sure.

So here I am today, and this is what I say:

Fourteen stinks!

It reeks.

You’ve grown but you’re not grown.

You laugh but you don’t smile.

You learn but you can’t understand.

Your insides are out

And your outsides are in

And you’re inside out

And then it barely begins.

UP and down, and the feelings swirl ‘round.

And you wonder, when will this all be at an end?

Well dear, cheer up. This may be the worst of the teens.

We’ve seen plenty, and they all now agree:

Fourteen is hard.

It’s the worst by a yard.

So today as you wake up one year older,

Remember, what your dear mother told ya:

This is a hard time of life,

But I’m in your corner, day and night!

It’s best to laugh at yourself and then take a breath

Being too serious could cause a social death.

Read your Bible, forget not to pray.

Remember we love you and enjoy your day.

Let’s start this year together, my child.

Let the worst be the best,

Let’s be reconciled.

Fourteen years is a new record, too,

And if anyone can pull it off well,

Girl, I’m betting on you.

💜

(Written for my Claira Jo on her 14th birthday, November 23rd, 2024.)

See the post about her birth here