jill's dilemma (m)

I called my friend Mary to see what I should give Jill for her Bat Mitzvah this Saturday night.

Jill is the 13-year old niece of my good friend, Mary.  She is a very pretty girl with long, dark, wavy hair and huge brown eyes.  She is funny, smart and strong-willed.

She's also overweight.

When my son, Sam, had to babysit Jill one day a few years ago, he asked what she wanted for lunch and she said "a tuna sub."  He took her to the luncheonette in our town and watched this 9 year-old girl down a huge sub, a Coke and chips on the side.  Sam was flabbergasted.

Jill is heavy but not fat.  Her family is very tall so she has a lot of length to spread the weight around.

The problem is, at 13 years old, her peers are intolerant of anything less than perfection.  Gym is a daily struggle against bullies.

Mary said Jill has skipped gym so many times, she may be at risk of being tossed out of her private school.

The issue isn't her inability to move. The kid can run.  The issue is the gym uniforms make her look bigger.

I remember my own olive green gym dress with matching bloomers.  I used to put it on and sit in the changing room willing the hour to be over by the time I got into the gymnasium.  The whole experience was awful.

I wish I could give her a gift on Saturday that would make this all go away.