The Lighter Side of Beth

I know we're supposed to embrace all that our children are, and not fuss about what they are not.

But I do often worry about my serious-minded, precocious older child whose mind operates at a different level from most 8 y.o.s. Mostly, I wonder if she will struggle with fitting in. She has friends but not best friends. Sometimes, she plays alone because her friends go off and do their own thing and she isn't asked along. She is not the bubbly sort who hugs others or smiles a lot. Sometimes she can look downright surly and unapproachable. She has come out of her shell a lot since Prep, but she will always be the quiet one, or as her Grade One teacher used to call her, "a fringe dweller".

Yet she is the same little girl I enjoy having random conversations with, and bouncing ideas off. She's an excellent helper in Sunday School (and not just when Mummy is teaching), a die-hard Harry Potter and Star Wars junkie who's now into Zac Power and Ben 10. She loves detail, perfection (being correct), spelling, big words, crafts, art, Ancient Greece and of course, all kinds of books.

My hubby is very good at drawing out the playful little girl in Beth, the one who smiles and giggles and love tickles and hugs.

On Sunday afternoon as we explored the Geelong Waterfront, he captured these precious shots of Beth as she tried to dance out of the camera's reach.

I enjoy this side of Beth as much as I appreciate her maturity.