being a mentor and embracing what others think is weird about you

this is a picture of the mexican artist frida kahlo.

i am mentoring a 4th grade girl at govalle elementary. her dad is in prison and her mom is a drug user in and out of jail. we meet once a week for lunch and hang out, talk, swing. i've always wanted to do this and feel scared or inadequate, as i want to do right by her. she hasn't had it easy. last week, we were sitting with a couple of her friends. one of the 'popular' girls came over to the table and asked her friend for her chocolate milk. she gave it to her. my girl offered her milk to her also, but she flatly refused. her friend at the table said, 'they are mean to her. they call her mustache girl'. referring to my girl. they began talking about unibrows and shaving their legs and such kind of things that i guess even younger girls now worry about.

its not easy growing up a girl and being different. looking different from the conventional idea of beauty in our culture. but i plan on being there to remind her that we are all different and we are all the same - and to support her just as she is.

so...tomorrow we will talk about frida kahlo. i'll swing by book people today and pick up this book: Frida, written for kids her age.

Kahlo was noted for her exceptional beauty and unconventional appearance, declining to remove her facial hair (she had a small mustache and unibrow which she exaggerated in self portraits) and donning flamboyantly-styled clothing inspired by traditional Mexican dress.

my girl is hispanic and we will talk about how Frida kicked ass and was a uniquely beautiful and unconventional woman. frida kahlo grew up neglected as a child and through life dealt with an accident that put her through 35 surgeries, violence, political upheaval, illness, a tumultuous marriage, depression and in the end she had to have her leg amputated due to gangrene. she was a stunning and strong woman - probably way ahead of her times - she was a sincere and gifted artist.

frida kahlo was married to the mexican artist, diego rivera. i traveled to mexico 3 times during college - one time stayed and roamed around the country for a month. my first trip there we went to view his huge murals in mexico city. they are amazing. my trips to mexico had a huge impact on me - bizarre and fun and enlightening and beautiful. i met amazing people there.

if you have time in your life to mentor a kid - its usually you go sit in at lunch with them once a week and be a friend, you might give it some thought. its not hard, you will be someone/something they can count on, something consistent in their life and someone just for them. in austin, you can do this through Partners in Education. worried about being a role model? so was I! but...its not as hard as i had imagined. and everyone is glad to have you there - just being there and showing your mentee that you will show up for them and be their friend. you will find that you take away as much as you give. it feels good to show someone who could use a helping hand coming up in the world, that you care.