International Chicks' Day

IWD is a day that I'm sure means much to many people. Some will spend time celebrating over morning teas, or long lunches, and others will make time in their busy schedules to raise money for unknown women who are impoverished for whatever reason. Still others will let the day float by without a thought. 

All of the ways we choose to spend this day are perfect, just as we are. With our thin-fat-taut-saggy-wrinkled-short-tall-birthmarked-pockmarked-stretchmarked-cellulitey-smooth-justrightforUs, bodies. There will be as many ways to celebrate (or not) as there are women who walk this earth, and this is one of the very things I love so much about women. We do our do, in the way that is right for us at the time, and we embrace our differences with compassion and inclusion. 

On this IWD I plan on getting up early, ready to kick-arse in my job and with my family (some arses might have to be kicked harder than others). I have an extremely bustling day to get on with, and so I will get on with it. Just as I know other women the world over will be doing. 

I will take some time to reflect on how lucky I am, and to daydream a little about the world my daughter will inherit. I'm raising a funny, feisty, funky little firecracker of a female, and I hope that it will always be so for her. I hope she continues to let her light shine.

Last week she had a bit of an emotional week- for some reason she seemed to burst into tears for slight infractions that she would usually shrug off, so during our bedtime chat I asked her about it. Enquired if she had any worries that she wanted to share. She paused for the longest time, and for a moment I thought she'd fallen asleep.

"Actually," she said (what it is with kids and saying actually?) "I do have a worry. And it's pretty big." She took a deep breath, and I stopped breathing, all of the fears that a mother has for her child rose up in a hot ball, clogging my throat.

"At school some days, the girl who sits next to me uses my ruler, and it's really annoying." 

The ball of fear dissolved and with it burst forth a laugh that I tried to hide.

"I can see that would be a bit annoying, can you think of what you can do to make it better?" I asked, knowing from experience with this kid that telling her how to solve things never really worked.

"Well I've been thinking about it. A lot. And I think the best thing is to snap my ruler in half and just give it to her. Then we can both have one. I'm just nervous that I might break it at 13cm instead of 15 and then it won't be fair." 

I smiled to myself and thought of the things we can learn from 10year olds who have big worries, and I hoped that her concerns will always be about centimetres and never kilometres, and that she will always choose to make things fair. 

Happy International Womens' Day Clickers. 

We rule. 

A chickette with a big worry...