I did not get to have my Bat Mitzvah because my father would not permit me me to have one. He wasn't observant........just very difficult. Of course my brother had the Bar Mitzvah to end all Bar Mitzvot. I decided at the age of 13 that studying was more important to me rather than a ceremoney with gifts, dancing, the whole thing. Mainly because I saw kids ending their religious study right after and that also meant an end to their observance as well. Not for me! I learned Hebrew on my own, studied Torah, Talmud, Mishnah...........everything. I got to the point where my survival as a Jew meant more to me than a ceremoney. The thing is that today
I have not stopped studying and regard myself as an observant Jew. I often wonder what my life would have been like if I did have a Bat Mitzvah.
"Friends are the people you chose as family."....Me.