Birthday hugs for Charlotte

And so the second of my children becomes a teenager. I know I've been calling her a teenager for about 18 months, or more precisely since she started staying in bed till after midday on weekends and holidays, but now it's official! I wonder what sort of teenager she'll be? She's a good girl, a conscientious worker at school. She has been through much more than many kids her age, though today isn't the day to go into that again. She is growing up in a less than conventional home, with a multicultural richness that inspires her with its mixed traditions, even if she is a little overwhelmed at times by the number of languages thrown at her annually! She loves her younger siblings with an unimaginable depth which shows her caring side and although her own youthful awkwardness brings a reticence that is at times in stark contrast with her older brother's extrovert personality, I am sure she will mature into someone with self confidence and a caring nature that I will always be proud to call my daughter.