9 June 2013

Eleven Wonderful Things About My Eleven-Year-Old

In honor of M's birthday (two days ago) I would like to share some things about her.

1. When she wakes up early in the morning and wants her Daddy to get up she'll bring him a cup of coffee, hold it in front of his face and blow the aroma at him.
2. She has sense of style that is all girl and all her own.  We have no fashion magazines in this house, I am not one to 'do' her hair, I spent the majority of her young life wearing sweats and a t-shirt, yet at two and a half, she wouldn't wear any clothes unless they were purple and when she was in kindergarten she asked me to put her hair in a ponytail and leave 'wispies' (tendrils?) out around her face.
3. She is an extremely adventurous eater, eager to try different, new foods.  Thanks to this, she has tried foods like crab ravioli and Peking duck soup. She started ordering off the adult menu when she was six or seven. The waiters/waitresses are almost always surprised at her interesting food choices.
4. She learns quickly and retains the lesson. When she was three she got in N's face, and the baby didn't like it so she aimed the two or three teeth she had and lunged, taking a chunk out of M's forehead.  She still has a faint scar and has been wary of her sister ever since.
5. She is extremely empathetic.  It pains her to see others in pain or struggling.  Because of this, she is more apt to reach out to others and as she matures, she's developing a sense of service that is admirable.
6. She has some natural talent, but even more importantly, she works hard to cultivate what she has. At first I just thought she was good at everything, but she's not. Instead she excels at the many things she enjoys pursuing because she understands that there's very little point in doing something poorly.  It's important to her to do well, for her own sake.
7. She's brave.  M is not physically confident, probably a result of being the first kid.  (Don't climb, you'll break your neck!)  In spite of this, she regularly goes outside her comfort zone to seek new experiences.  
8. She's a peacemaker.  She gets along with many different people and often bridges the gap between social groups.  She's learning the art of how to pick her battles and she prefers to be an influential supporter rather than the center of attention.
9. She likes mustaches.  I don't get it, but I like that about her.
10. She has a very rich imagination and spends a good deal of time in her own head.  This can sometimes be a source of frustration for both her and me, but because she is a deep thinker, she tends to grasp the theory behind concepts.  If she is thinking about something, she cannot be rushed off her train of thought.  She needs to follow it to the end in order to move on to something else.
11. She's able to laugh at herself.  One of her favorite pastimes is having Dan or me relate funny stories about the silly things she did when she was younger.  And even now she's developing the grace to laugh off her foibles.