Growin' up girl

It's happening. She's growing up. Princess daughter warms my heart most days now. We've had some great conversations lately as we've read the Americal Girl Kit books and discussed what a "Depression" is (hmmm...), what it means to be poor, the importance/unimportance of money, and taking personal responsibility for actions and decisions.

And the values we've been talking about and "enforcing" - and reinforcing - over the years show glimmers of paying off. Princess daughter was chosen for "Hot Seat" the other day. That's where everyone in the room says one positive thing about the person chosen for the "hot seat." Princess daughter was very upset that only three children said something about her personality. "Most of them said something about my clothes or my hair. Who cares about that?! I want to hear about my personality!" She exclaimed. Wow! I had to do a quick check and make sure she was still five.

For many reasons, last summer we moved from a more urban area to a more suburban neighborhood. This move meant Princess daughter could attend public school, which meant classes with more population diversity. I am heartened to see her hug children of various ethnic backgrounds and races without a second thought that they don't look like her ("no one looks the same!" I've heard her say). She talks about the beauty of her friends' skin ("it's like they have a beautiful suntan all the time!" she exclaims in wonder). And she tells me about playing soccer with the boy in her class with special needs because "he can't throw very well, but he is a great kicker, and everyone else likes to throw."

She's not perfect, she's human. But the next time someone says "grow up! Stop acting like a child!" I'll wonder if that's so bad.