a little mother daughter time

After bringing Caelin home from a party last night, she and I sat n the car, just talking. Strangely, that is not something that happens often. I am ashamed to admit it, but she said to me that last night was the FIRST time we had ever talked liked that.
We talked about middle school life. She sees her friends changing, trying ever so hard to be popular and liked and she gets sad. She said, "Mommy, why can't they just be themselves? I don' like who they are becoming."
I remember those struggles. Only I was the one changing. Caelin is a rock. She was sad because she doesn't know all the "popular music" (we listen to Christian), but she also said she is more sad because she doesn't really want to listen to it because it is "bad" for her "soul". She was sad because she feels she has no one she can be real with and she is lonely. I wanted to scoop her up right then and there and make it all go away.
Only I can't and I hate that.
Popularity is such a double edged sword. I tied to tell her that even the popular girls feel lonely, but I don't think she heard me. I tried to tell her that popularity doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but I don't think she heard me. All in all, these are hard life lessons she must grasp. I just have to wait and catch her when she cries.
Sometime parenthood sucks.