I wantto thank Candeelady from GoGo Glue Gun Fun for guest posting on Empowering Girls: So Sioux Me today. Terry Candee R.N. graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has practiced Pediatric Nursing for more than thirty years. Her resume inclues Clinical, Educational and Counseling R.N. positions. She was a troop leader with the Girl Scouts of America for six years and currently teaches girl scout programs and manages a blog , GoGo Glue Gun Fun, which includes humor, craft activities and advice for Moms to build healthy relationships with their tween daughters in our crazy "pop" culture world.

I want to tell you about a really interesting young girl I had at one of my doll craft parties recently. The craft parties I teach allow the girls a wide range of design choices and I really like observing some of the crazy things they make. I get ideas from the very imaginative girls and I enjoy encouraging some of the timid creators. I've seen fake fur made into earrings, 14 sequins adorning a 2" by 2" skirt and pom poms pushed down a blouse to make boobs on an innocent sweet little rag doll.

In addition to the colorful fabrics and fanciful trims, I bring the usual tools, scissors, glue, markers............... and some toothpicks to unplug the glue bottles when needed. This one adorable tween, after observing me using a toothpick to clear a clogged glue tip, was inspired by the little pointed stick to make devil horns on her doll. She broke a toothpick into two precise equal pieces and glued and positioned them protruding from dolls forehead. She chose a full length solid red sparkly dress and left it completely void of any trim. The hair wasteased fuzzed out red yarn and she drew fangs for the teeth, and added yellow eyes. Meanwhile her peers are all making fashionable"barbie look a like"dolls !

The other mothers and myself chuckled at first but as her work became more intense and her project more demonic, we began glancing at each other, grimacing and wondering if we should intervene and try to guide her away from her Gothic style. I joked with her a bit to try and redirect her but she was determined to make a "devil doll". The final touch was a red chenille stem fashioned into a pitchforked weapon for the little creature.

When her mother came to pick her up she greeted her tween with enthusiasm and when she bent down to give her child a hug, everything suddenly began to make sense,............................... as I noticed two pointy spikes peeking out from her overly teased up hairdo.........................Just Kidding ...................................

There never was an explanation for the devil doll. The girls mother looked a bit puzzled, told her daughter she did a "fantastic job", glanced at all the staring Moms and just shrugged as they left the party together arm in arm. The remaining nervous Moms all concurred with furrowed brows that it was a very "weird doll" and had it been their daughter they would have directed her to design something "pretty" and NORMAL.

At first I thought well......................maybe she watched horror movies .......maybe a counselor could be in the near future .............or a priest...........................but then the artistic part of me decided this could actually be something wonderful ,..................................maybe this kids imagination is amazing and beyond what the average child is given. Maybe her mother is supportive and non-judgemental about her kids artistic expression, allowing the daughter to be herself!

This imaginative tween could be the next Julie Taymor or Edith Head and she'll be working with Stephen Spielberg when he directs "Star Wars Episode XL---The Nanoscience Behind Luke Skywalkers Invisible Walker" ! She will receive an Oscar for "Best Costume Design" and we will all think what an amazing creative mind that woman has!
Check out Candeelady's latest post, Non-Conforming Tweens are NORMAL.