Emma has struggled with friends for the past several years. Some of her childhood friends either moved away or moved on. Some friends did not have the same standards she did and so they drifted apart. For about a year she has been almost friendless. She has friends at church and she would talk to kids at school, but she had no one she could hang out with on the weekends. I had been praying for her for quite some time, but a couple of months ago we decided to fast and pray together.
In December she started a job at "Chubby's" it is a local burger and shake joint. It has pretty good food and is close by. Spencer worked there for a few months when he was in high school. The owners are cool, they are closed on Sundays, and the kids are home by 10 on weeknights. Those are all pluses to this job.
When I dropped Emma off for her first shift. Ashlynn was also walking in the door. Ashlynn is a girl who became somewhat of a friend at the end of ninth grade, but they didn't see each other at all over the summer. They were happy to see each other and Emma gave her a hug. At least she knows someone who works there too.
Well, the kids at Chubby's have been very welcoming to Emma. She has gotten dates and found new friends she started working there. She has lots of people calling, texting, and wanting to hang out with her. She even told me that there are to girls who work there who fight over Emma's attention.
She and I both recognize the answer to our prayer. She is happy, bubbly and pushing the boundaries. We try to reserve Monday nights for Family Home Evening and I don't want her to work more than 2-3 shifts each week. She still has homework, mountain biking, family responsibilities, etc. The owners only schedule the kids for two shifts each week, but she was picking up extra shifts from kids. She got behind in school and was missing FHE regularly. If her boss schedules her on Monday we try to adjust FHE, but she was asking to work on Mondays or taking shifts from other kids so she could work with a cute boy who usually worked on Mondays. She just now called me from school asking if she could work at 7 tonight and close for someone else. She knew the answer, but thought she would ask anyway.
She was asked out on a date by a boy she was acquainted with last year in her seminary class, but lost contact with. He, by the way, doesn't work at Chubby's. She told me they were planning to go mountain biking, to dinner, then to his house. I said, "Great, who is the other couple who will be going with them?" She tried to tell me it wasn't a date and that she had been mountain biking with other boys before. Taylor and I told her it sounded like a date to us and reminded her that she needed to double date until she graduates from high school.
She is a good girl with a solid testimony of Jesus Christ. She is just having new experiences and hoping to push the boundaries along with it. She hasn't done this much before so that part is kind of annoying even though I am actually so happy that she is having fun, social experiences. I want her to have good memories of high school and learn how to have fun with peers. She is doing that and I am so grateful!
She went to one casual school dance with a mountain biking friend and had fun at the date and dinner beforehand, but she did not enjoy the dance. She told a recent "crush" of hers that she didn't like dances. I hope she doesn't tell too many boys that because I would like her to go to at least one formal/semiformal dance during high school.
We will see what the future holds, but for now she is loving life and I am loving watching her grow.
In December she started a job at "Chubby's" it is a local burger and shake joint. It has pretty good food and is close by. Spencer worked there for a few months when he was in high school. The owners are cool, they are closed on Sundays, and the kids are home by 10 on weeknights. Those are all pluses to this job.
When I dropped Emma off for her first shift. Ashlynn was also walking in the door. Ashlynn is a girl who became somewhat of a friend at the end of ninth grade, but they didn't see each other at all over the summer. They were happy to see each other and Emma gave her a hug. At least she knows someone who works there too.
Well, the kids at Chubby's have been very welcoming to Emma. She has gotten dates and found new friends she started working there. She has lots of people calling, texting, and wanting to hang out with her. She even told me that there are to girls who work there who fight over Emma's attention.
She and I both recognize the answer to our prayer. She is happy, bubbly and pushing the boundaries. We try to reserve Monday nights for Family Home Evening and I don't want her to work more than 2-3 shifts each week. She still has homework, mountain biking, family responsibilities, etc. The owners only schedule the kids for two shifts each week, but she was picking up extra shifts from kids. She got behind in school and was missing FHE regularly. If her boss schedules her on Monday we try to adjust FHE, but she was asking to work on Mondays or taking shifts from other kids so she could work with a cute boy who usually worked on Mondays. She just now called me from school asking if she could work at 7 tonight and close for someone else. She knew the answer, but thought she would ask anyway.
She was asked out on a date by a boy she was acquainted with last year in her seminary class, but lost contact with. He, by the way, doesn't work at Chubby's. She told me they were planning to go mountain biking, to dinner, then to his house. I said, "Great, who is the other couple who will be going with them?" She tried to tell me it wasn't a date and that she had been mountain biking with other boys before. Taylor and I told her it sounded like a date to us and reminded her that she needed to double date until she graduates from high school.
She is a good girl with a solid testimony of Jesus Christ. She is just having new experiences and hoping to push the boundaries along with it. She hasn't done this much before so that part is kind of annoying even though I am actually so happy that she is having fun, social experiences. I want her to have good memories of high school and learn how to have fun with peers. She is doing that and I am so grateful!
She went to one casual school dance with a mountain biking friend and had fun at the date and dinner beforehand, but she did not enjoy the dance. She told a recent "crush" of hers that she didn't like dances. I hope she doesn't tell too many boys that because I would like her to go to at least one formal/semiformal dance during high school.
We will see what the future holds, but for now she is loving life and I am loving watching her grow.
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