Olivia turned three in October, and I forgot to share the story of the gift her Uncle Sacha sent her: a colorful child’s makeup box. It was bright pink, with many little compartments and a mirror. You see, Olivia is very girly-girly. We don’t quite understand how she became like that, but there it is. When she sees anything glittery, sugary, or pretty and feminine, she wants it—lipstick, nail polish, earrings, high-heeled shoes, fluffy dresses that twirl, and ribbons in her hair. She dreams of long hair, and this gift was the jewel in the crown.
When she opened it, she squealed with delight and immediately started exploring the little compartments. Gabriel, sitting beside her, kept asking, “Can I see it? Can I touch it, please? Can I see it too?” Olivia just shook her head no. Chelsea gently told him, “Just wait, darling. She just received it. It’s her gift; she’ll share with you when she’s ready.”
Gabriel stood up, dramatically threw himself on the couch, and exclaimed, “I’m so jealous!”
What amazed me about this moment was that, at just five years old, he recognized and labeled the feeling of jealousy and knew the meaning of the word. Some people take years to understand that emotion, and don’t always know what to do with it.
After a few moments, Olivia said, “Gabriel, come, come and put makeup on me.” You see, she likes other people to do her makeup, and Gabriel does it best. He was as happy as a lark as he transformed her into a lion, and she glowed.
(Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of the full make up creation that Gabriel did.)
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