Poor You

Today was the annual Friendship Charity lunch where a group of women get together for lunch and instead of giving each other gifts for the holiday we donate money to charity. It is always a nice fair and one that I am glad I did not miss this year.
It was touch and go if I was going to make it since I had to take Carter to the Doctor. She is going to be fine, but there is a lot of paperwork with a concussion. While she and I were sitting in the exam room I read a poster on the wall out loud, “Do you have a child about to enter the 7th grade? Poor you.” I added the “Poor you,” as an editorial comment, but Carter did not know that and said, “does it really say that?” We were laughing about it as the doctor came in. We told him why we were laughing and he said the “poor you” is implied.  
As sad as I was to have to take Carter to the doctor I enjoy it so much more now than when she was, say in 7th grade. When we have to talk about something difficult it just isn’t difficult any more. If things are not going in the right direction it is not a fight, but a discussion. It is much more a friendship than anything else.
Next year I will probably be going to the friendship lunch again, but I probably won’t have Carter at home to talk to about who was there and how much fun it was. It is the right order of life. Time for her to go away, but I know I am going to miss her falling for my editorial comments.

That being said, I am happy not t have a seventh grader again. I may miss Carter, but not that much.