When I was a child I lived in the desert, the high mountain desert of Wyoming, and spent summers at 10,000 feet in snow and tundra. But somehow, I wanted to grow up and be a dolphin. At first I went through a phase of being very angry that my parents had not named me flipper, then when I talked them, who were both so afraid of water that they held on to the towel rack all the way through their bath, into signing me up for swim lessons, and I spent hours swimming underwater, pretending to be the mermaid I knew I would grow up to be. And that was years before Disney showed me there could be redheaded mermaids. Ariel came to the big screen the year I started teaching and I took my first class to the theater to see.
@summerfield Thank you. It wasn't until i saw this picture when i was in my 20's that I finally believed that the child I was didn't deserve the bullying she got in grade school
What a beautiful little child you were and I love the photo effects, too. Such a cute story....I love it. I was always fascinated by Esther Williams as a child and saw all of her movies. But I didn't learn to swim until I was 23!! My granddaughter also loves dolphins.
children (and adults, too) can be cruel. methinks bullying is a sign of a person's insecurity and envy. you're a sweet, sweet person so you were an easy target. they seem to know who would put up the least resistance. i know because in grade school, i always fought with the bullies especially when they're picking on some helpless or quiet child.
What a wonderful tribute to your husband (in your blog). What a wonderful thing for a child to want to be (a Mergirl). One of my instructors said that the best teachers are creative and have inquisitive, curious minds.
What a cutie pie you were! You absolutely did not deserve that bullying, but really no child does (and I know you heartily agree). What I find beautiful in you is that although it hurt you never believed it. And something kept you going so that now you are in a place where you can encourage children to be who they are meant to be and to accept one another. Sweet shot!
