The Green Ladybug

I am proud of my daughter. I think that she is a beautiful girl with a huge heart and I am happy and lucky that she came into my world. She changed my life, and me as a person for the better and I am thankful.

After coming home from school a few days ago, my daughter was talking to me about what had transpired in her pre-teen world, while I listened, happy to still be involved. She had mentioned that she had bought a pen from the machine in one of the hallways and was happy to see that it had cute little, red ladybugs all over it.
Now, I love her, but sometimes she has a way of telling stories that go around and around with no ending in sight. (she might, or might not have inherited this trait from me, hehe) I was beginning to wonder if this was one of the a fore mentioned, when she looked at me with...a face. I focused again.
She continued, that on one side, it had one, lone, green ladybug. She said that she was even happier then, because she realized that she was like that lone, green ladybug. I asked her why, and she replied that she knows that she is different from the other kids at school. She doesn't quite fit in and gets made fun of, especially by the boys. But, she is happy that she is different, because, she can sing, and draw, and speak Japanese and all of the other things that help make her different. Her individuality makes her special.
I just about cried. I was so happy for her to have realized something so very precious in this harsh world at such an early age, I could have danced for joy right then and there.

I came from a single parent, poor household and therefor, had very little. The kids eat that stuff up with a spoon, so of course, I got made fun of for everything...sometimes, even stuff that wasn't true. I thought for YEARS that I was fat and ugly because the kids told me every day that I was. My poor self esteem carried over into my adult life and affected just about everything I did. It wasn't until about five years ago that I finally realized, with the help of my amazing husband, that I am not that fat, ugly kid I thought I was for so long.
 For my daughter, whom I love so very much, to not have to go through all of that torment in her own life, made me very happy.

I am always amazed at how wonderful my children are, but this time, I was even MORE proud of...my little green lady bug.