Allen 13th: Changing Things Till It’s Fits Right

A firecracker and adventurer, always coming up with something new she is interested in, that is Allen’s motto, lets keep going! When I started writing this post during her 12th year, I had a feeling some change was coming, and even this post would have to be augmented to the new narrative of her life. Right before summer, Allen opened up to her siblings and finally to us as her parents right after the start of 7th grade, that she has decided to start exploring her gender and identity. It was exciting to learn she has chosen to change her name to Allen and explore her identity and broaden her interests. You might have noticed last month, in posts, I started identifying her as Margot Allen. This choice was to warm up the waters of family and friends, to this new chapter in her life. With this change came her decision to accepting the she/he/they pronouns. The most amazing part of this new chapter unfolding, was to learn she went to her brother and sister first, then her friends and then to her parents. Allen is a brave teenager indeed. As she continues to explore she has really blossomed in so many ways.

Allen spent the early months of 12 training with a local US Swim team (USS) year-round for the first time. We’ve finally reached the perfect age to swim on a regular basis. She is still my little fish! She swam most of her 12th year. There was a small break during the USS long course season and dove back into the twins summer rec team. Then back again into USS this fall as she turns 13. Summer as a 12 year old, was her third summer doing the Summer Rec team with her brother and all of her friends. Before summer swim, Allen proudly finished her 6th grade year by performing in all of middle school choir performances and was already on board to join choir in 7th grade.

6th Grade was a great year for Allen academically, Clem and I were really impressed the challenges she handled and flourished in all the friendships she created with many new friends, in first year of middle school. Moving into 7th grade, those same friends embraced her with open arms as she started to ask her friends to now call her by Allen. The plus side, we did our due diligence as parents and talked with her amazing counselor and a few of her teachers who were equally supportive of the changes she has planned for her life. She has blossomed in 7th grade with finally in a real art class as an elective and a real art teacher. Listening to her talk about some of the new art mediums she is learning about, just lifts me up to my college days. Her interest in art keeps growing, and we love seeing it unfold.

One of the other reasons for a swimming break during the Spring, was  Field Hockey! To say she is in love with field hockey, is an understatement. She truly has fallen in love with the sport. She finished the 6th grade season with new friends and a thirst to learn more about the sport. During the summer we signed her up for high school Field Hockey camp, and she was just as energized about the one week as she was in her 6th grade year. She even got to be coached by her sister’s bestie! She’s already on board for field hockey in her 7th grade year. Allen has been exploring art more and more, and last year she even worked on claymation and stop-motion filmmaking.

To kick of her 7th grade year, Allen has set a challenge for to write and produce her first short film. I’ve heard bits and pieces of the script, and cannot wait to see this creation come to life. I am already exploring some summer and winter programs to start brooding her skills in film arts and possibly writing. She is certainly artistically driven like her older sister. This love for the arts was all over the place during the last year. We visited a long time friend of mine at his artist studio in SF over the summer. She’s not only super keen on learning more from his skill but it was super treat for me, because his artist studio is literally in my old office building at Perksatwork in SF. And his the studio is the meeting room right next to my office. Small world.

Looking ahead at 13, Allen is most certainly looking forward to returning to the field hockey field and competing in her first USS meet. Then there is summer camp, no summer isn’t complete without a visit to Kennolyn. I don’t know what it is that really makes the whole summer camp experience, out of this world. All three kids loved it. The oldest even misses those days of being at camp. Allen has certainly carved her love out of all the experience she has at camp. She is also looking forward to returning to another place the kids love to go in the summer, and in the winter. For now, she’s working on that script and getting pointers from her older sister. There is ear piercing on the horizon, another 13th celebration. Paley is joining her for second try at the body manipulation. Long story involving a piecing person with strict rules being blasted at 13 year old, with serious breaking the rules anxiety, took almost 5 years to recover from. And lastly, Margot is getting her first phone. I shared more on that in Lochlan’s birthday post.

For now, we are excited to see what 13 brings. They say middle school is the hardest on girls. As it stands right now, Allen is doing pretty good. She’s had some serious and grown up conversations with Clem and over the last year and a half. Some about school but most of them about friendships and relationships. As she grows older, I get a sense of old wise souls in her and her brother. Paley can certainly say she was a shinning example or the good brushed off her and on to them. All in all, I think Allen has grown so much from her elementary days. She had some great teachers in those formative years, and she has certainly found a few just like them in middle school. I promise we will share that short film, when it’’s ready. She does plan to submit it to some film competitions.