Tweenlife: Rosemary’s Intro

Hi, I am Rosemary!!!

I am 11 years old.  So basically a tween!  Here are a few things about me!!  I love art!  Because what is Earth without art?!?  I have a cat, her name is Banshee:) she is soooooo fluffy!  My mom, dad & Lavender are a big part of my life!  I am the oldest daughter of us two (me and Lavender).  I am in 5th grade, it’s harder than it looks.  I love to sing and am in the school choir.  I am trying out for the All State Elementary Choir.  I really hope I get in!  I will be writing about the life of a tween, arts & crafts, beauty tips and much more!!  🙂

Signing out for now,

Words from Mom…

I feel SO blessed and excited to have Rosemary involved in this Blog with me.  Our Tweenlife segments will be a collaboration, with Rosemary expressing herself and directing the content, and me helping her along that path while also adding the Parenting a Tween perspective.

In this one post, I have already experienced a couple of huge lessons.  First, that I need to have more realistic expectations in terms of what she writes =o).  I envisioned a MUCH longer introduction from her!  I also need to figure out the right balance between editing her work and allowing it to be authentic to her 5th grade ability.

The second lesson is much deeper and of far greater importance.  I’m learning that there is a pretty big discrepancy between the positive self image things I tell her, and what I DO myself.  For example, the other day I was working on a draft for an upcoming fashion post (my First!).  I started blog-hopping through some of my favorite mom-fashion-blogs, paying close attention to the blog designs, quality of pics in their fashion and crafting posts, and how to do linkups for weekly roundup posts.  I had never noticed these details before when I would read for entertainment.  I started doubting myself… my starting out in this new craft, with SO MUCH to learn. What do I have to offer that isn’t already done? And what about the novice quality of my photo content?!? I shouldn’t be doing this!!! I’m not good enough (melodramatic wailing)!  And then Rosemary walked in, asked why I looked stressed out, then asked me who I’m needing to impress.

What?!?  Everybody!  I need to impress Everybody!  (Like, duh)

And she says “Why are you wanting to impress people? This is for US, for fun! Who cares if anybody likes it? You don’t need to be those bloggers, you are YOU, shut those pages, they’re making you feel bad!”

Wise words, Ma Chèrie!  …they sound kinda familiar.

This weekend it happened again.  I was going through some pics we were taking… The shots were in full glaring sun and my face was scrunched up, making me look like a wizened crone.  I said “IS THIS what I really look like?!?”  And she said, “YES!”  Not seeing anything wrong with it.  I pointed out good pictures of me, taken inside, and showed her how the faces look like different people.  I asked which I usually look like.  She looks me in the eye and says “BOTH, and both are beautiful!”  She grabs the camera away, tells me I’m making myself feel bad and needed to STOP IT, then gives me the same lectures about beauty and self love that I’m always giving to her.

Well, at least I know I give GREAT advice!  My words to her (mirrored back to me) are perfect!  I just need to start practicing what I preach and that is tricky since I don’t even realize I’m being self negative in the first place.

Tweenlife!  It’s like the best mirror ever.