There aren't many things as special as the beaming smile of a child who has faced a challenge and has been surprised with the gift of mastery. The following two clips showcase riffs off of skills she's been working on in gymnastics, but now realizes may be applicable outside the gym.





At the close of our oddly parkour-like session in the mall playground, Z confided as we were leaving, with obvious relish, that she "really was sort of showing off in there." She actually did strip down to the leotard before I hastily made her put her shorts back on.

Heaven help us.