This Thanksgiving I will give thanks for one of my most outstanding accomplishments – my oldest daughter, who, on Nov. 24, will turn 12.

She was supposed to be born on my late father’s birthday – Dec. 11 – but even in the womb, she was ready to get a head start in taking on the world.

In fact, she tried to come early about four times. I was on bed rest for four months and had to take medicine that made me feel like a cracked out cat. Twice it was so bad I had to stay in the hospital and take medicine that made me feel like my best friend had died, someone had run over my dog and stolen all the Christmas presents from under the tree.

Then, I had to eat Thanksgiving dinner in the hospital.

Oh, the things we mothers suffer for our children.

Now, in a few short weeks, she’ll begin that transition from my baby girl to an almost teenager.

Shoot, she’s virtually a grown up – snivel, snivel.

For the second year in a row, she decided to forgo the usual birthday party (joy, joy!) and has opted for a day at the nail salon, a movie and some shopping.

And believe it or not, I’ve been looking forward it. We don’t get to spend as much time together as I’d like, the just one-kid-to-the-mom time anyway.

I look at her now and wonder what kind of woman she’ll become.

Will she achieve her dream of being a fashion engineer (which incidentally you can get a degree in at Auburn) as she calls it, or will life send her down another road? If a rest stop along that road was titled “chemical engineering degree,” that’d be really great, too.

Will she be strong and independent? I’d like to think those are qualities that are learned by example, both of which I’ve tried to demonstrate.

Will she be a leader and confident in her abilities? If her attitude thus far is any indication, I think she’ll be OK on that front.

But most importantly, will she be happy? I sincerely hope so, because I pray every night and ask God to keep my children safe, healthy and happy. Why? Because above all else, if I had to choose between my happiness or that of my children, there’s no question what I’d choose.

So this Thanksgiving, while gathered around the family dinner table, take a moment to examine all the things in life for which you have to be thankful. Then, look around the table and tell them.