Climbing in Skirts

Back to that whole thing on appearances. Kids always pick up on differences. Even in the earliest stages of development they start to sort things out, group them by similarities.

My mom enrolled me in gymnastics when I was about 4. (It probably had something to do with the fact that my sister and I were using the basement couch to vault off of.) Anyways, I wasn't all that coordinated. I blame it on the fact that my legs were way out of proportion with the rest of my body (and then there was the fact that I was chubby and lacking in upper body strength).
One day sticks out in my head. I was at gymnastics and I had decided to cover myself in white chalk. The chalk that we used on our hands to grip the bars. I thought nothing of it. I was wearing my leotard and I started with my legs. Then my arms. I don't remember if I got to my face. I just remember my mom being mad and taking me to the restroom to remove the chalk.

Kids notice differences. I was convinced that my sister, who is several shades lighter than me, was adopted. When I was a preschool teacher one of my kids asked if the brown washed off. I had to explain that it didn't (and I recall secretly wishing that it did).