Teen years....the only time in life you know it ALL!

Of my four children, I guess my firstborn, a daughter, was my most difficult child. She was stubborn, headstrong, sneaky, and determined to have things HER way. Mama didn't play that game! She & I butted heads many, many times when she was growning up. The worst year I think...for me anyway....was her 16th year. Her constant 'mantra' to me was an angry "IT'S MY LIFE!!" Funny thing now....20+ years later, I have to ask her why she is living MY life?? Four kids...failed relationships...like she's walking exactly in my foot prints. The following poem is one I wrote when she was 16. Looks like I may need to write another, if she continues to follow my path. :)

It's My Life --

I am the keeper; the one with the key
And alone, only I, can look out for me.
If I do the job well, I'm my own reward;
If I bungle the task, only misery's in store.

My life? Yes it is; and the choices mine.
And I know I'll choose wrongly from time to time.
But to know about life, I must learn by mistakes --
Then strive to do better, whatever it takes.

When my journey is done, and I'm nearing life's end,
Will my life have been such that I'd live it again?
Or will sorrow and heartache, alone, tend my wake?
Will I die, having given back more than I take?

Yes, I am the keeper; the one with the key
And alone, I unlock my own destiny.
My life? Yes, it's mine -- at least for a while
May I have no regrets, when I've walked the last mile.