Number of years spent mothering: 18

My daughter turned 18 this week. While she is healthy and funny and is a joy to be around (most of the time), these numbers might help tell the whole story.

The number of:

emergency room visits: 30
times dramatically transported to the ER in an ambulance: 2

musical or theatrical performances: 150
rehearsals for those performances: 500
performances in which her "costume" involved push-up bras: 20

times she changed her hair color: 35
hair colors I liked: 1 (the original)

times she climbed out of her second floor bedroom window in the middle of the night: 1 (I think)

times she broke a window because she forgot her key: 2

times she blamed the broken window on "some bad kids" and called the police: 1

times she blew her curfew: 1,000
visits to the police station: 1

things I've learned from her in 18 years: countless