My daughter is 9 going on 19. She is so funny. She is walking that fine line of still wanting to be my baby at times but also being soooooooooo embarrassed by me! Like the other night we were walking in Mission Beach just after sunset and I had my arm around her. All of a sudden a car pulls up in front of the market and 3 teen girls in crop-tops with phones in their hands jump out of the car. My daughter immediately removes my hand from around her shoulder. We walk a bit more and after the girls are far enough away she grabs my arm, puts it back around her shoulder and says "Mom I want your arm around me but only when other kids can't see". I wasn't mad, I totally get it, I've been that age before. I was just thankful that she could process and felt comfortable enough to express those feelings to me.
Anytime I ask her what she wants her new room to look like she says she wants it to be a "teen room". From her description that means a desk with a laptop, a few succulents in colorful pots, a blue accent wall and a white fuzzy throw rug. So that is the plan. We put the first coat of paint on her wall and I think it looks great. We also decided to turn the top of her closet into a little loft for her to escape to read (aka play on the iPad)...........