We can hardly find clothes that fit her. Already she has outgrown most of the sizes in the girls’ department and she can’t quite fill in the 0’s in juniors.
She has to look down to see most people her own age or even older. One older but littler girl was dismayed to meet her in a line for a Disney park attraction, and late another night a group of nasty teenaged girls mistook her and me for a same sex couple sharing a little kiss.
Sad, I know.
She gets funny looks when we walk down the street holding hands and second looks when I give her a hug or a kiss.
She gets exasperated when she tries to get dressed and the clothes we bought her last month no longer fit and her shoes already are too tight.
Other moms think it strange that she wants to ride the kiddie rides at the fair with her friends, even though her legs and arms stick out the little cars. And they laugh awkwardly when she picks up her friends to help them board.
And little kids wonder why the big kid is waiting in the line to see Santa.
Because she is only 9 years old. And, even though she might look 10 or 12, she is still a little girl. MY little girl. And regardless or how big she is, or how old she looks, she still deserves the chance to be a little kid.
For a little while anyway.
We all know its hard enough being a kid in the world today. She has her own blog. She wants a Facebook.
Need a Power Point presentation? She’s your girl.
Need to change the settings on your iPhone? No problem at all.
Spot Justin Bieber on TV? Please call her. Then listen to her sing along with her angelic little voice – perhaps the only part of her that hasn’t outpaced her age. Or, if you’d like a new song to sing, ask her. She probably can write you one. Or a poem. Or a story. Or a computer-generated video.
She’s sharp. She’s smart. She’s quick-witted and becoming an expert in the art of sarcasm. She likes irreverent t-shirts and is developing her own fashion style, but I have a hard time getting her to comb her hair.
But she still gets scared in the dark, and she still loves to snuggle with her mommy at night and in the morning. We can even play footsies.
And she still believes.
You see, she’s still a little girl, with lots of childhood left. If we let her be.