Dear Alice

I’m now the mother of a teenager, and I’m still slightly stunned about it. Lying here next to another small person I’m transported back to that first night, 13 years ago. I’d been awake for 36 hours give or take, and in labour for around 20 by my reckoning before you were actually born. And that was it, my world completely, irrevocably changed. The axis tilted, a new centre to revolve about. You.

I’m still a rookie mum I’m afraid. Even though I’ve 27 or so years parenting under my belt (if you add it all up) I’ve never had a teenager before. I’m bound to make mistakes. Get it wrong, embarrass you, sometimes even accidentally, do uncool stuff like dancing the happy blog dance and forgetting someone might see me.

I hope you’ll go on forgiving me and that we can go on learning together. I’d like you just to remember one thing. Whatever I do, I do it with love.

Your mum.