I'm having to loosen the reins now and it isn't as tough as I thought it would be. My daughter is growing up and I've got to let her have more opportunities, slowly but surely.

Last night I let her walk home from the pool with a friend. It is about a five to seven minute walk through our well lit neighborhood. The friend was the nicest boy that we know, who also happened to be two years older. She asked while I was stuck in a town hall meeting at the pool and I made the decision without even thinking long about it. It worked out fine but I did worry a bit.

Today was the last day of school for her - she is in year round school. I let her take her digital camera to school today. She had to tell her teacher she had it and promise to be responsible and appropriate. The camera was labeled but it could still have been lost or damaged however I was more worried she'd forget to bring it home! She and her friends took a bunch of photos and videos and she brought the camera home in one piece.

She's taking the steps towards being more responsible but those are also steps leading away from us.