“Mom, how do I get rid of these wrinkles?” My 17-year-old daughter Amelia tugs at her oversized T-shirt – the one with the red race car on the front – that she wears over her cut-off shorts.

I want to freeze the moment right here and never let her get any older. Better yet, I want to wrap my arms around her and squeeze her back down to kindergarten. Just for a day.

But it’s impossible.

Instead, I play it cool.

“Oh, no problem – throw it in the dryer. I just put some stuff in there that’ll take them out.”

She reaches arm over arm and shimmies out of the shirt without blinking. She doesn’t think for a moment about being nearly naked in front of anyone. She wears string bikinis like bakers wear aprons.

Amelia loves freedom.

Bending over the hot dryer, I spot a corner of an old snapshot

See Full Page