June 1st, 2004

I’ve always been last in line for everything. Then again, I was never in a hurry to grow up. By age ten, most girls I knew were dying to get their first bra, had planned their wedding down to the last detail, and selected names for their future children.

That’s so not me.

Most kids get a visit from the tooth fairy in first grade. By the time I lost my first tooth, in fourth grade, I didn’t believe in her any more. Didn’t wear a bra until years after friends did, and even then did it just to avoid ridicule. As for “becoming a woman” I was late for my first cycle, too.

Only recently, in the last couple years, did the baby fat disappear from my cheeks and a more sophisticated bone structure emerge. That must be how long it took for my hormones to level, because it’s also when I finally stopped breaking out. What a bizarre and prolonged adolescence.

Lest I accuse my mom of lying about my age, I am reminded that my younger brother is a late bloomer as well. Strangely, it was only our physical and emotional development that was stunted. Intellectual development was ahead of schedule. How many kids are reading at the tender age of three? I rest my case.

Still, it’s painful being different and lagging behind. At times I’ve felt like the crippled kid from Grimm’s pied piper tale. It’s hard to look at your peers and find their goals vastly disparate from your own. You wonder, is there something wrong with me, or is it an advantage to be set apart from the herd?

Admittedly, there’s an up side. Nobody in my family looks or acts old. It’s nice to have assurance of aging gracefully and staying young at heart. Although I’m still deciphering who I am, one thing I’m sure about… I may be late, but I’m definitely blooming.

Entry Filed under: Time Travel