Yesterday, when I picked Raphaela up from school, her cheeks were flushed and she seemed incredibly energetic. Her teacher explained to me that today in her art class she had been one of the first to finish the project, and so overwhelmed by the accomplishment, she began crying. Her teacher continued, "All the girls and I went over to her and said 'What's wrong, why are you crying?' and Raphaela answered that she was crying 'happy tears.'"
The teacher told me that she had never seen such deep emotion expressed in such a way by a girl that age.
I am proud of Raphaela: though she does not relate much to the concept of competition with others, she demands much of herself. Her happy crying shows me that she has mastered some level of self-awareness, that she knows when she has surpassed her previous records, and that she is worth celebration.
As a bonus, when we got home and I was cleaning out her backpack, I saw that for the first time since the beginning of the school year, her lunch box was totally empty, all her food completely eaten.
Victory!
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