Girly Girl

Audrey started ballet/tap class this week. She was so excited. The class was a mix of newbies and previous students. Watching from behind the two way mirror caused me so much anguish. I wanted to be by her side to help when she couldn't get her shoes switched or looked particularly overwhelmed. I fear she has inherited my ability to be easily over-stimulated. So in a room with 12 giggling girls and an instructor who seemed to have just downed a gallon of coffee (are all dance people all perky all the time?) she looked occasionally lost. But afterwards she said it was fun. I hope she likes it because I have never been very sporty or performance-oriented and I would like to encourage her in those areas, if she is so inclined.

As I write this in the wee hours of the morning on the eve of her pre-school orientation, I find it hard to believe how much my little sweet pea has grown in the last six months. Her sense of humor can be so sophisticated and her vocabulary constantly surprises me. Even more impressive is how genuinely sweet and sensitive she is towards others. She is our world.

I think we are doing a lot right. But raising a girl is hard and I don't expect it to get easier. I don't consider myself a girly girl or vain (except about the frown lines on my forehead and I'm not that vain or I'd botox the crap out of them instead of incessantly complaining about them). However, I did find a lot to relate to in Sarah Sophie Flicker's post My Daughter Myself: A Girly Girl Raising A Girl.  Lately, Audrey has claimed she wants to be a mommy on Halloween so she can wear lipstick. (sigh...lipstick?) This makes me feel flattered and uneasy at the same time. I try not to get ready for work in front of her. But like Flicker says in her article, "If I spend half an hour getting ready and then turn around and tell her that beauty isn’t everything and it’s more important to be smart, am I sending a conflicting message?" Thankfully, my beauty routine is a whopping 10-15 minutes. But I still worry about being a good example to her. She's the most important thing I've ever done.