Happy birthday to you both! You have a lot to be proud of.

Happy Birthday to you and your daughter.

I well remember the "20-Something" years as a Mom and it can really give the old heart a Push Pull as they sprout their wings and fly into their own lives sometimes near and all to often with the wonderful world wide opportunities far. The empty nest can be particularly poignant.

I do believe a well loved child, which I am sure yours was, will eventually grow and mature into what Harriet Beecher Stowe says "is we never know the love of a parent until we become parents ourselves." and be much closer in communication and maybe even living closer when they get into a little more age. I know that has proved true; especially of my "strong willed" children. Being parents and dealing with career choices and a few "crisis" drove them to ask "best interest" advice and cheerleading from family faster than anything.

The trick to all of this is to remember this is a wonderful time in our own lives where we can focus, with out guilt, on our own lives and bloom where ever we want to plant ourselves. And by doing so we prepare our children for the time of their lives when they are us.

I am a strong believer in lifetime parenting but sometimes the best parenting is just setting a good example of living a life of peace and productivity with loyal peers and well planned agendas to meet our own needs.

I do remember "coasting" awhile before my next direction fell into my lap but when it does you will know and if I know you at all take it by storm. Good Luck. Many more Happy Birthdays.

Thank you PacificStar :)

I don't have (and never had) empty nest feelings, quite the contrary, nor a problem with her being far away! Cos I understand all too well :) Of course I miss her at times, but I would never ever hold my kids back from happiness.
And my life has always been full with my own interests, even when my kids where young.

It's a different subject, but I sometimes think that women who suffer from empty nest feelings, are usually the ones that have been married for yonks? The typical moms and housewives who've focused their entire lives on their hubby and kids, baking cakes etc etc.
I could have that all wrong of course ... but I've never been the typical housewife person, I don't like cooking, I'm crap at baking cakes LOL... I'm an artist, I write, I paint, I garden, used to design and make clothes for the kids etc etc. I have no time for empty nest feelings, or for cooking for that matter, haha. If I could, I'd hire a cook.

I sometimes even think I haven't even got the time for a partner
I don't work, but I'm always so darned busy, how the heck do I fit a guy in? Oh wait... have him cook! That would free up at least an hour a day, hihi.
I am laughing about it, but I am actually dead serious ...
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We now have to have the flowers and cake




Now on to the bubbly

happy birthday to your daughter.. and you as well I suppose.. after all you did give birth to her..

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What a precious gift to have a child of strong and insightful traits. To know her destiny as such a young age. I have a daughter like that she knew what she wanted to do at the age of 6 and she never ever let anything deviate from that...


I love your outlook on motherhood... I also believe we only have our children for a short while and it is up to us to teach them to be ready to fly in this world and not survive but to thrive.

I wish you all the happiness and love in this lifetime you can handle, since if I wished for you all of this as you deserve you would be overwhelmed.

Have a lovely day Crystal...

You almost made me

The cake will be tomorrow, 13th being my own birthday :)
- didn't I deliver that 'baby package' well: a day before my own birthday, lol -
She chose, not me; she was supposed to be born a few days earlier... but like I said... mind of her own, even before she was born.
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Ok So tomorrow will be another cake and gifts..Consider these tokens for a precious daughter. My youngest daughter decided to wait almost to the exact minute a week later than my birthday..I was born at 2:33 Am and she was 235 am one week later..

So does this mean we get another thread for you tomorrow???

haha, I dunno ... would it be greedy? Lemme see how I feel tomorrow. Technically speaking, it is already my birthday, since over here it's gone midnight, hahaha
Am on Whatsapp with my girl... in the States it's still her birthday, the 12th, over here it's mine, kinda weird... So she's now congratulating me on her own birthday... -you still with me?-

Yeppers it totally does...
So if you don't then I will before I go to bed...rofl.. You deserve it

Oww... you really are sweet! Thank you!!
((((Rains))))