My Kids Are Different-Elizabeth

16 October, 13

My kids are different. On so many levels. They are different from your kids. They are different from me and Susan. They are different from each other. This Spanish Experiment has brought out a lot of differences that have been very interesting to watch unfold.

My girls are almost exactly 30 months apart. Often though, people think they are twins. Aside from both having blonde hair, I can't really figure that one out. I told one lady, "Yes, they are twins, but they were born 30 months apart." She didn't get it.

Elizabeth is the one with my kind of attitude toward the world. "Resistance is futile." She will have the world, because it is given to her on a silver platter. The people who give it to her probably won't even know why they are doing it. She'll smile, take the platter and walk away, as if she were just picking up a hamburger from the counter at McDonald's. Lizzy's World has its own dimensions outside of time and space. She is all glitter, glam and sparkles. I have to admit that what she does, she does well. Most women over age 30 think she uses way too much makeup. Elizabeth doesn't care. She likes it, so she uses it. In her defense, she does a pretty good job of it and actually approaches makeup like a professional. Her hero is Coco Chanel. She can tell you the thirteen parts of the eye:

1. Outer crease
   
2. Above crease
3. Brow/Highlight

Well, you get the idea.

The problem with Lizzy's World is that it often collides with Reality, which makes for quite an explosion. Elizabeth decided several years ago that she did not like school. It required too much work, and Elizabeth doesn't "do" work. Here in Spain, she has to work twice as hard, because she has to translate everything, then think about what it means, then craft the appropriate response in Spanish. The other day, she was bemoaning this sad state of affairs, and I told her she was being lazy. This is not an insult to Elizabeth, as she will tell you that about herself. She quickly replied, "I work hard. I just do it in a lazy way." She could not understand why I thought that was funny. 

Elizabeth is sneaky about learning Spanish and learning in general. She knows a lot more than she lets on. The other night, she came into the room and told me excitedly about her experience at the park. On this particular evening, her normal translator friends were not there. It was just Elizabeth with her other Spanish-only friends. She was forced to speak Spanish or sit by herself. For two or three hours, she had conversations with the other kids. To be sure, they did a lot of Tonto-speak, "Ugh. Lizzy need baño", but she was also able to communicate in a foreign environment without her normal crutches. 

Elizabeth is turning a corner. In her own way. In her own time. And that is why I love her so much.

The world is slowly approaching the platter, preparing for the handoff.