why girls are obsessed with cameras

it's settled. i know there are a few boys out there who are a bit keen to star in every picture, but i think the average tween girl makes the backstreet boys look tame. i pulled out my camera today and the girls went stir-crazy. some of them started yelling to "get that thing away from me" - fixing their hair and plastering pretty smiles over their faces in the same breath. one threatened me with a water pistol, & a couple others stuck to my side like we were peas and carrots, jumping in front of the lens at every chance.

the boys just continued stuffing each other into cardboard boxes and downing cheese-and-vegemite sandwiches.

i don't think all this is because girls are vain. i think sometimes it's because they have learned to place a high value on their appearance, and they're insecure about that value. and other times, because pictures can be fun and silly and creative, and because capturing memories appeals to our sentimental side.

i hope that i can use my shoddy little camera in a way that is positive. the girls are pretty, but that's not what i love about taking photos of them. it's their enthusiasm, their creativity, and their vibrant smiles. if i could bottle up their liveliness and bounciness and sell it to the world, i'd be a rich girl.

speaking of enthusiasm, whilst we were hanging out and talking about other things, one girl, taylor, asked me why pastor tony has a tattoo. she (rightly) pointed out that there is a verse in the bible where God tells his people not to mark their bodies. i figured i knew the answer but that she should ask the pastor herself. she bounced off and about one minute later raced back into the hall, repeating his response word for word in one breath. she told us that jesus came and died and rose again so we would be free from the law. (that was the gist of it, anyway).

theology aside, her eagerness to learn makes me smile :) i made the girls promise me that they will continue reading their bibles, praying, asking questions, and finding answers. i reminded them that sometimes i or their parents or even our pastor will get things wrong, and that they need to always keep reading and learning and thinking for themselves

i hope taylor never loses her curiosity. i hope i don't.