Tatum has been waiting to turn 18–freedom!—since she was still playing with dolls. I remember the last day she played with dolls: it was a Friday afternoon in early September 2018. She was in sixth grade. That was the day we learned that middle schoolers in Maryland are way too busy to play, unless it’s on an organized sports team.
Moving from Jakarta to DC wasn’t easy and was made worse by the pandemic 18 months later, but there’s a spark in Tatum that always wants to become fireworks, free and mesmerizing—the very definition of sparkling. This idea was encapsulated by being a bonafide grown up.
So it was a bit of a surprise when, about 3 days before her birthday, Tatum seemed down. When I asked how she was doing, she laid down on the kitchen floor and before I knew it, she was crying. “How am I going to buy my own shampoo and do all those grown up things?” she asked sadly.
I laughed until I rolled and then we were both lying on the kitchen floor. While the march towards graduation has been anything but steady, even this semester, she is definitely ready to be a grown up. She’s so competent, aware, decisive and efficient.
Most importantly, however, is this: “Tatum is the kindest person I know.” This was said about her onstage by a fellow student during remarks after her debut last week on the stage (not counting Annie in third grade), where she played a nun in The Sound of Music. She is so kind. Kind and competent is an amazing combination.
She’s still that little girl playing with dolls, dancing to Shake It Off in the JIS talent show, hugging orangutans, and flipping off a boat into the Indian Ocean.
In fact, she still takes crazy leaps; to celebrate Senior Skip Day last week, she went cliff diving with friends. She’s still that sparkling girl in Indonesia. We feasted on Indonesian food for her 18th—with a splash of champagne and a Quality Street chocolate—with her beloved Aiden, Sophia, family, friends and a surprise appearance from Kyiven.
Next up: AP exams, prom, graduation and The University of South Florida. The Taurus becomes a Bull!
18 photos of Tay.
@theterrace 