Sprout Goes to School

Today is the last day of summer vacation, and the last day my daughter is a preschooler. Her uniform is ready, backpack, lunchbox, and school hat are all lined up for their debut tomorrow.

Her brother, Small Sun, has given her numerous lessons in preparation. She is ready.

I am ready.

I think. 

There is always the possibility of an unexpected ugly cry in the car on the way home.

"She won't even look back." The Captain predicts.

I hope she at least gives me a hug when I go.

Before we make the big jump to school-dom tomorrow, I thought I would sit down and record who Sprout is today. This is what Sprout wore to church today: A long purple halter dress I made her, with a purple tshirt underneath. Brown suede boots (an improvement over the purple suede boots with white toes from the suede rolling back - "the white looks like a mouth" she wailed when I told her they were not appropriate for church). We can't forget the accessories - purple winter gloves, the same necklace as in the above picture, a floral print purse, a vintage lace shawl the dragged the ground, and pink hair accessories. It was alottalook. She is alottapersonality.

Yesterday at the beach she was cold. "Can I wear my sweater?" When I told her sweaters don't keep you warm when they are wet, she insisted it would, and proceeded to wear it the entire time.

Sprout is completely absorbed in her imaginary world. If you can believe it, this is a tunnel cut through the bush between the campground and the beach, and this picture was before night fell. It was shadowy when we went through the first time, and pitch black upon our return. I wondered if our kids would freak out, but Sprout spent the whole time talking nonstop. There was a cellphone glowing from the person walking behind us, otherwise we were walking blind. Sprout was all breathless explaining how the light was from her friend unicorn who lights the way for her. She explained all about the unicorn and what they do together and how it helps her when she needs it.

Small Sun has crossed over into the land of reason, but Sprout will fight him firmly and surely that the tooth fairy is real! Santa is real! Fairies are real! even though we've never taught her these things. She believes in everything beautiful and special and shimmery, and no one can convince her otherwise.

Of all our children I would say Sprout has the strongest will, and she has always had a bit of a mean streak. Now, when she's angry or offended, she will go straight for the jugular. She throws out "you're not even a nice mommy!" or "you're so mean to me, why are you being so mean to me, you are so meeeeaaaaannnnnnn!" like candy at a Fourth of July parade. 

We are not indulgent parents, and we don't give in to fits, but five years of parenting Sprout has taught us that you can't really make her do things she doesn't want. If you can't convince her to do it, you cannot make her do it. She is incredibly strong. We pick our battles.

Sprout can be occupied with the tiniest details for hours. Once I sent her to clean her room. About an hour and a half later she had created an entire family out of pine needles, pompoms, and googly eyes. They had a house, and beds, and they flew like birds. They were amazing. Her room was still a frightful mess. It is most of the time. She can actually clean it to a level of organization and precision that makes even me happy, but most of the time she gets distracted in something much more splendid.

Sprout is a night-owl. I don't bother making sure she is in her bed at night, or checking to see if she is asleep in the 1-2 hours after I tuck her in. Last night she was staring quietly, so I put in my head to see her. "Still awake?" I asked. "I told you before that I go to sleep at different times." she said. She spends a lot of time puttering around her room, tidying, organizing, and playing before falling asleep. Then, I'll find her in bed with a book fallen across her chest, or a circle of My Little Ponies radiating out from her hands. She is a night owl, through and through, just like my mother and my sister.

Sprout is so very creative, and like I said, her imagination runs wild. She is incredibly feminine and loves princesses, ballerinas, pink and purple, and anything that sparkles. She has taken colored pencils from the art area, and pretends they are "eye line", she carefully applies while looking in the mirror. Today she has some nail polish on her eyelids. I don't even know how that happened. I didn't ask.

Yet Sprout is also a happy participant in "going to the moon" (a current favorite amongst all our kids), construction games, and everything else that could be deemed "boy's play". I watched her try to climb a backyard tree in her church finery earlier.

She cannot be pigeonholed or stereotyped. She is just who she is, and nobody can change her. Strong, fierce, aflutter with the magic of life, and sometimes swooning with her hand across her forehead while crying "romantic! romantic!" She is amazing, and I know school won't change that.

Comments

[Adelle]

A beautiful description of an even more lovely girl. I can't wait to observe who she continues to grow to be. Sounds like she's taking your fashion sensibilities with a dash of Austin and I's nerve in the wardrobe department ; )

[quietstream]

Good for you, allowing yourself the wonder and enjoyment of this unique little person without trying to make her into anything else. I agree with A, what will the years bring as the bud continues to open and fully blossom?!

Enjoy this new chapter of your life!