There may be some of that, but I think she really does want to be a grown-up and have more autonomy. We have recently given her the privilege of being allowed to walk up and down the street alone and it's probably the best things we've done for her in a long time--she cherishes that like you wouldn't believe, because it's "adult." She sometimes has to be talked out of buying her own ticket to the movies or her own food at an event (maybe I shouldn't talk her out of it, but it does seem weird to buy these things for her brother and have her spend her allowance on them). She would be happy to spend her money on things like this instead of toys (actually, she has never bought herself a toy in her life, though she sometimes buys books). It's sometimes hard not to feel rejected by this, but I don't think it's really personal--I do feel loved and cherished by her, but there is just the sense of...how soon can I be done with this part?
She is not like some mini-adult, though--all super-mature and responsible. Actually, she is highly emotional and NOT especially mature for her age, although she is concerned about things (war, environmental destruction, etc) that most kids her age are not. She is mature in the sense that she separates from us very easily, loves to travel, and loves novelty and new experiences. Camp was fabulous because of this. She had an incredible time and asked if she could go back again THIS summer!
I agree that kids generally look forward to birthdays anf getting older. Well, many do. Some seem to fear it. I don't remember feeling strongly one way or the other--sometimes growing up seemd good and other times I wasn't so sure.
