The first day of the rest of her life

I don’t know why it feels that way. She is just out of her junior year and started her job shadowing today. Somehow she is all grown up and still my little girl who needs to be fiercely protected and monitored, watched over like a new baby. And yet there she is. In a salon all grown up and learning as she hopes to soon begin a career in cosmetology.

I have to admit, I am very nervous for her. What if she becomes overwhelmed? What if she talks too much or not enough and the stylists don’t like her? What if she doesn’t answer the phone correctly or forgets to offer a glass of water? Will she feel like a failure? Is she strong enough to try again and again? Or will she want to quit? Will her anxiety overtake her at the worst possible moment? Will she call me crying and wanting to come home early? If not today, when will it happen? Will it happen? What will it mean for the rest of her life? Why am I putting so much worry into one job shadowing experience half-way through her cosmetology education?

I have to remind myself that she is smart. And strong. And talented. And loves this field. I have to remind myself that we are still there when she gets home from the salon and there before she heads out. We are there if she falls and we are there when she succeeds. Because she will. She will struggle and she will excel. She will fall and she will soar. Everyone does. And she will learn how to handle it because we will be there every single step of the way. To support, to encourage, and to celebrate every single step.