Primping...A Follow-Up

Let me just outline a few events for you.

• Monday. I catch Snapper hard at work with brush and sparkly lip gloss in front of the mirror in the morning before school. Primping.
• Tuesday. Melt-downs over the "pressure" of finishing homework. I must add that she had one math page, one easy Social Studies worksheet, and a 3-page section of her Social Studies book to review for the test. Still, it was a mountain in her mind and it took her 30 minutes to pull herself together enough to even begin her homework...which could have been finished in the 30 minutes she spent fussing about it.
• Wednesday. She picked a super cute outfit for school--skinny jeans, a cute tank top, and a coordinating shrug. She asked me to braid her hair in pigtails. She wore earrings to school. On Wednesday night, she rubber banded her Awana shirt in the back because it is so long that when she wears shorts with it, it looks like she is only wearing a shirt. The way she tied the shirt back was very cute...and way more appropriate than leaving it hanging.
• Thursday. When she came home from school, she shlumped into the house and sat in the patio with her back to me, shooting signals with her entire being that she needed me to get off the phone and talk to her. She didn't speak, grabbed me by the hand, and dragged me into my room and closed the door. Commence the sobs and wails. Everything went wrong today! I was itchy all day. Mrs. N took away our commenting privileges on Edmodo.* And I just know that something has gone wrong with the shipping of my new glasses. The box is lost or it got crushed or something and they're going to have to start all over and make me some new glasses. I can't handle the pressure! And now I have a pile of homework and then I have to go to swim team and then I have to go to bed. I quickly realized she couldn't be reasoned with, so I just hugged her and offered to help her with her homework. While she was getting her books together, I explained why the 4th grade lost a day of commenting on Edmodo. They need a class meeting to discuss more specific guidelines on Edmodo before comments will open again. I pulled up the tracking number on Snapper's glasses and found that they are due to arrive on Monday. We finished homework in 20 minutes. When I dropped Snapper off at swim team, I encouraged her to put some of her emotions in the pool and swim it off. When I picked her up, she was energized and refreshed, and felt a lot better, just as I knew she would. Then I took her out for sushi, just the two of us, and we talked some more about growing up.
• Friday. I just got home from previewing the video Snapper's class is going to watch in science on Monday. It is a video about puberty. The girls will watch one video in the library and the boys will watch another video in the school theater. It talks about the amazing changes a girl's body is about to go through. It also discusses hormones and how they affect the brain and the emotions.The video said that girls begin to experience the first wash of hormones between ages 8 and 10, with the emotions starting to swing around 9 1/2. They tend to cry easily and get overwhelmed by small things. It also said that girls will begin to really notice their appearance around that time, and looking good becomes more important. Hmm... Happily for me, the video stresses the importance of having good communication with mom during these years, eating healthful food, exercising, getting enough sleep, and good hygiene. I was reluctant to let Snapper watch the video, but after screening it, I feel it will serve as reinforcement for what we've already been discussing.

Is my little girl really growing up? Oh my goodness, how the time flies by!

P.S. There's no special boy right now. The newness and cuteness of the boys in her class wore off around Christmas time. Now they're just boys, and Snapper is pretty consumed with the girls in her world. Her two best friends happen to be boys, but there's no special interest on either side...they just think on the same wonky wavelength and love to hang out.

*Edmodo is the online classroom Snapper's class is using. It's pretty cool, actually. Mrs. N. poses challenge math problems, asks brain teaser science questions, and posts videos for the kids to watch at home. The kids log in as part of their homework, post replies to the questions, and engage in online discussions about the brain teasers. They absolutely love it.