I think she's turning into a girl
My sporty, tomboy oldest daughter who played more with Rescue Heroes than Barbies is getting rather girly these days. At 11, she's taller than many women and she acts more like she's 14. In a good way - more mature, thoughtful, and responsible than many preteens. Most of her friends are a year or two or five older than her and I guess their influence is rubbing off on her. For a morning of just hanging around at the dance studio waiting on little sis, she layered her fitted t-shirts and added a puffy scarf with a hint of *sparkle*, which formerly would have ranked just below torture in her mind. She just had her crazy, wild mass of hair chopped and thinned to a manageable style, trading her trademark messy bun-thing for a pretty curled ponytail. And this morning, I bought her make-up. Because she *wanted* it. I had originally held firm to the "no make-up before 13" rule my parents enforced, but puberty hit early and hard for Kate and her acne can be rather noticeable. She's finally learned the importance of washing her face often, so I decided to go ahead and allow make-up. I bought her the simplest, lightest stuff possible. I don't want her growing up too fast, but I also don't want her to be completely out of step with her friends. I'm also hoping that it'll be like candy. I don't make a big deal out of candy in my house - its neither encouraged or forbidden - and the kids can take it or leave it. The make-up will probably end up sitting in a drawer most of the time, but it's there to use it if she wants. But I have to admit that I kinda like this new girly side of Kate.