40s Parenting - take 2

I've been a parent of KIDS for nearly a decade now, so am getting the hang of it:

• "She wants Chuck E. Cheese - he wants Planet Fun" car fight? I can negotiate... WHILE driving!
• "Why can't I dress like my friends?" meltdown, 5 minutes before we leave for school? No problem.
• No homework... again? Uh huh.... sure....
• Clean up your ROOM - check! (I can do room inspection in my sleep now.)

And I've finally resolved myself to the fact that at 6 and 9, my days of seersucker overalls and cute frilly little dresses are over. (I still linger in the toddler sections of stores, and thankfully, I still have younger Godchildren to shop for!)

But the 40s now has me parenting an ADULT... and that's TOTALLY different. What do you say to "You're treating me like a KID!" Because my first thought is: well, you ARE my kid!

And then there was this weekend: hosting the boyfriend (friend? male friend?) and his parents! Now that was a new one! Actually, we had a wonderful time. We've known the family forever and they're all very, very nice. (No, I'm not exaggerating because his mom reads my blog!) It really was a great visit. It's just that the whole thing put me in a very different role, and had me observing things from a very different - and new - point of view.

Ironically, it all unfolded as my younger daughter celebrated her 9th birthday, and that whole "little girl" persona is fading. Yes, there are days when she wants to cuddle and be my little girl. But lately I'm noticing many more days with questions like: "Can I have a house key now?" ... "I can do it by myself" ... and "[long, whiny] Maaahhhm... you don't have to hold my hand!"

40 - still tons o' fun. Parenting in my 40s? Hmmm... the jury's still out. It's feeling like a whole new learning curve for me.