Indie is 11

August 15, 2024

Indie is 11

If you want to love on Indie, take her to get some chow mien or Freddy's fries.

Let her ride shotgun.

Blast her favorite music. Roll down the windows. Let her hang her head into the breeze and day dream. Surprise her with Dr. Pepper.

If you're feeling frugal, raw top roman, popcorn dipped in milk, or even a plain tortilla will do.

Let her overhear all the conversations you have. If it's a funny story tell it twice, because she loves that shiz repeated immediately for a second laugh.

Giver her a new journal to write down all her lyrics, compose her stories, or just be present as she obsesses over how may songs her favorite artists has released (Bonus points if it's Neoni, Taylor Swift, Aviva, or Olivia Rodrigo.)

Let her watch a show with you, let it be past her bedtime. Let it feel grown up.

Load the dishwasher for her. Don't make her shower.

Let her check out 80 books on her library card and come to peace with her absence as she consumes them.

Surrender your phone and iPad to her as she facetimes and texts her friends to her hearts content.

Do not make her leave the house on her birthday. Not for anything other than touring her new middle school. Plan out her best walking routes from classroom to classroom.

Rehearse this walk 3 times over.

I want to remember how incredibly responsible Indie is. How hard she tries to listen, and do amazing things. How amazing her imagination is. How passionate she is about music, singing, and writing. How tickled she was on her first day of voice lessons, how much she emoted when she opened her laptop to support her writing. How she thinks it's funny to stick out her tongue, often. How her Dad calls her dry tongue because of this. How she tried the knee board, despite her loathing of cold water.

How difficult it can be for her not to yell at her siblings when she's had it. How private she is about feelings, thoughts, bodies and relationships. How talkative she is about fantasy, songs, plans, and imagination type stuff.

How she loves. Playing with Stella, encouraging Finn, giving Myra a million spin hugs, and piggy backs.

When I asked Indie what she wanted to remember about this time in her life she said: " that we took a trip every 5 days in summer. It was fun sometimes."