I always wanted a daughter.  Always.  I wanted her to be my first born, so she could be my tiny helper as a girl and later my best friend as a lady.  I thought about this desire for a little lady every time my mother and I butted heads while I was growing up (also known as every single day of my childhood…and adulthood).  I swore I would be the best mother ever to my bundle of sugar and spice and everything nice because, after having been a girl for my entire life, I understood them.  I knew how to raise one right.  Appearance, self-esteem, materialism, friendship, education, gender roles, sex, drugs, rock and roll.  I had all the answers! I was a professional before ever having taken a swing.  Then, my eight pound six ounce piece of heaven landed on my chest, and I had to prove my parenting prowess. Continue reading →