Little Girls

There is something special about a little girl!  I remember when my neice, Melissa, was little and we had so much fun being "girls" together.  Not that the little boys weren't fun - they definitely were.  But I have been thinking all things girl the past few weeks.  We have had some extra time to visit family and to keep our granddaughter, Abby.  The fun clothes, the "smart" toys, the great sense of humor that these girls are encouraged to enjoy.

I love that little girls are encouraged to be more independent and assertive than when I was young a million years ago.  You know, the days when a girl was to become a teacher, a secretary, a nurse, or (the most glamorous of all!) a stewardess.  When we tried out for junior high band in sixth grade my back-door neighbor, Linda, told the band director that she wanted to play the drums.  I though he would fall over in a faint!  He told her that girls just don't have strong hands to play the drums and for her to pick out a more appropriate instrument.  Hmmmm....guess he didn't know about the strength of a woman's hands.  Dr. Linda Deere, MD still uses those weak hands to practice cardiology.  She got that degree nearly 40 years ago when some of us were dreaming about flying the friendly skies as a flight attendant!

Talking to young women today I get the sense that they are proud of their roles in life - whatever they may be.  Maybe it is because of the options that are open to them now.  I watched for the 38 years that I worked in a school setting changes in attitudes toward girls in school.  It may have started around the time that Marlo Thomas published "Free to Be...You and Me!"  What a ray of sunshine that was!  I have watched women become more free and happier about being females as time has passed.

I look at our 2 1/2 year old Abby and think about the possibilities that are open for her.  I never want her to feel that she is limited in her choices.  Today at the pool Abby met a precious little boy who is five years old.  She watched him as he swam underwater like a fish - something she has never attempted - and I could see the wheels turning in that little head. "If he can do it, I can do it."  She walked up to the most shallow part of the pool, took a breath, and dove under the water...not once, but twice!  She came up pretty full of water but none the worse for wear with a huge smile on her face and a look that said, "Just had to do it!"  Go, Abby!  Welcome to the world of girls!