Eleven

Eleven observations from an afternoon and evening spent with three 11-year-old girls:

1. High-heeled shoes are fabulous! While trying them on, if you can take 4 or 5 steps in a row without wobbling, twisting an ankle, or falling over you are "totally ROCKIN' those shoes!"

2. A boyfriend is someone you like who has told one of your friends he likes you also. The main reasons you like him are because he is good-looking and nice to you. You don't ever do anything together. You rarely talk to each other. You do dream about marrying him one day, and you blush and get silly when you talk about him.

3. It's essential that you are extremely passionate about one thing and you notice it and/or talk about it whenever opportunity arises. (i.e. the color green, animals, your "boyfriend", things that remind you of something you recently read)

4. Mildly humorous things are actually over-the-top funny.

5. It's become cool to ride the carousel again.

6. More than one person must be talking at all times.

7. For the most part, moms and your friends' moms are OK. Your thoughts on right/wrong and in/appropriateness are still shaped by your parents. Dads are fun too, and the mention of them is always good for a couple of eye rolls to indicate how obnoxious (in a good way) they can be.

8. 3D movies are way cool, and definitely worth a 90 minute wait. Sitting in a movie theater for 2 hours really gets you hyped up...especially if you've been snacking on candy during the show.

9. The instinctual female desire to visit the restroom in pairs has already kicked in at 11.

10. When with your friends, you automatically become louder, sillier, more dramatic, and more daring than you normally are.

11. It is truly a joy to hang out with 11-year-old girls (at least the ones I got to spend time with yesterday). They are interesting, engaging, funny, exhausting, daring, insightful, tender, and beautiful.