My girl

Katelin has to be the coolest kid I know. I'm proud of the person she is. I really wish I could take credit for all her good qualities. I wish I had those qualities when I was a kid. She's beautiful. She's petite. She's smart. She's hardworking. She's gregarious. She encompasses every meaning of the word "cool."

Like every other kid in school, she's had to endure teasing. In sixth grade she complained that some chic at school kept telling her that her clothes were stupid. I was immediately furious, and defensive. Her clothes were not stupid. I darn well made sure she dressed in all the coolest clothes. That mean little girl was going to get it. I rehearsed all sorts of whitty quips Katelin could use as combacks. Katelin could see me getting mad as I was pacing and tapping my finger on my chin. She told me to chill, and that she'd already taken care of it. When the girl started in on her, she simply said "so?" That's it. Just "so?" I don't get it. All of the anguish I experienced with one simple little word. I spent the better part of 10 years trying to imagine what all the cool girls would say about my outfit, and hoping if I wore that perfect outfit to school I would somehow be allowed into their sacred little circle. If I could just go back in time and practice saying "so?" in the bathroom mirror.

Then there was the bus incident. Some high school girl demanded Katelin get up out of her seat on the bus. Katelin said no. According to Katelin the girl tossed her backpack on the ground, threw her hands on her hips and informed her she didn't know who she was dealing with. My stomach knotted up. "What did you do? Where did you move?" My little girl didn't move one inch. Katelin told her she didn't care who she was dealing with and she wasn't getting up, and she told her she would be more than happy to share the seat with her. The high school girl huffed and sat next to Katelin and spent the rest of the bus ride staring out the window. When they arrived at school Katelin wished her well and then high fived a bunch of kids sitting around them. Me?? I would have spend that day and probably the rest of the year hunched over my backpack sitting 3 to a seat in the front row.

Who knew it was this easy?? Are these qualities nature or nurture? I still can't believe my kid is one of those cool kids.