Pageant Princess

Friday night I cheered for the girls who won 7th grade (a friend’s daughter) princess and I clapped for the 8th grade princesses. The ninth grade class steps onto the stage, the freshman class — my daughter’s class . They announce the winners in alphabetical order. (I admit that I’m alphabetically challenged and I often catch myself singing A-B-C-D-E-F-G to figure out where a letter falls). I hear the first name announced for freshman beauty and it’s a Sh name. I think oh well, she didn’t make it and then I hear Paige Snyder (I just couldn’t quickly figure out if Sh was before Sn, so I just guessed – wrong, I might add). That sounds so familiar….oh, wait that’s my baby….oh my! She won!

I watch her walk on stage through tear -filled eyes and there she is, the little girl who only a few years ago told me she wanted to drive a dump truck when she grew up. Looking at her up on that stage it’s apparent she’s growing up and I don’t think dump truck driving is too high on her list of things to do. She looks so beautiful, so grown up, but I still see that little girl spirit shining through her. I see it in the twinkle in her eyes and the joy in her face.

So, my sweet closet princess (with the spear in her ear) is now the Freshman Beauty. What a moment for her! She’s a great kid – and we always knew she was a beauty, but now she has a sash to top it off. And doesn’t everyone need a sash every now and then.