When I was young, I'd hop on a Huffy bike, pedal myself to the mall, meet friends and make an afternoon of it. While I am sure I sometimes bordered being a Mall Rat in the mid 80's-it was good friends in different times.

Today, the eve of my youngest daughters 13th birthday she wanted to go to a movie with a friend. No parents, just be dropped off. Why it's such a different world than when I grew up I don't know-but it is. (Actually I know why. Columbine, Aurora, New Town, 9|11, Crack, Amber Alerts, Cyber Crime, Pedophiles, Legal MJ and I could go on and on, and on and on and on). I don't see myself as an overbearing parent as with being on kid two I think were a little more hands off than others. Why I had a hard time dropping my now (almost) 13 year old at the mall for two hours for a movie was one of the hardest things I have had to do. I left a kid at college, I took a kid to Florida and stood by as one was wheeled off into surgery but this letting go was equal to or tougher than those other events.

13-my last kid and while she's running full speed ahead at all the adventure and new things in her life I am standing, both feet on the brake pedals trying to stop this thing in it's tracks. Spoiler Alert: We all know how it ends... I wish it was just because she was going in to see a bad movie, but it wasn't. She's 13 and growing up!