[DeletedAccount53]

Hey Everglow

Thank you so much for all of this because it's being a good guide for Julie and I. Tommy has been asking lots of questions, such as "how do we overcome obstacles?" and "do you have a role model?", and "what's your personal style?", and "when we feel down, what makes us feel better?" and an exceptionally good question, "what characteristics make a good leader?" All these questions are ones that are typical of what a preteen usually asks, and that's no bad thing at all. When we were Tommy's age, Julie and I had asked the same.

Not only had Tommy asked us, but she also asked maman and her sisters exactly the same questions. It's good because she's discovering how we as a family all have similar answers, and what made me smile was every time she was answered, she scribbled in her notebook.

Looking closer, I marvelled. Tommy was writing in shorthand! It was something she learnt when being adopted. This is a very useful ability! But learning shorthand is reputedly difficult, but our little sister knows, and this made us realise she is very bright indeed, especially considering she's only recently turned 12. So I think her having one-to-one tutoring at school will help her, and also it may just be that the school will put her in an older class. Tommy is way ahead of her years, a real bright button we've got, but one that is going to take careful, but firm handling.

Yesterday was a prime example because while we visiting Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, Tommy revealed something else we never knew. She has zero tolerance to bullies.

We'd stopped for coffee and were sitting outside the cafe when a group of guys were walking past, and unexpectedly stopped to have a go at guy all on his own. Their Italian, mostly spoken in Sardinia is a language we all know, but Tommy bucketed out of her chair and ran across the square and stood in-between the guys. Standing in front of their ringleader Tommy spoke in what was gutter Italian! The leader, pushed her. It happened very quickly, but she lashed out and then performed a hard roundhouse kick, toppled the guy to the ground and then she really whacked him.

I went to break it up, but it was all over by then. The ringleader's mates had dispersed, and he was all blooded up. Despite all that, Tommy seemed calm and cool as she took the bullied guy's phone number and went off with him before I or my family could stop them. Tommy remained about 50 metres away, hugging the guy who was thanking her. As I walked towards them, she kissed his cheek, said something I couldn't hear and the guy ran off looking well pleased.

Later after we paid for our coffee, Tommy explained how, when was in this orphanage how she often rescued bullied people. She'd pocketed her phone and told us not to worry, but from the damage she did to the guy was nasty. We all saw how adamant she was, but Julie and I later told her that despite having zero tolerance to bullies, it doesn't pay to lash out. And this is one prime example of how firm we must be, both now and in the future, but being gentle and understanding and above all, listen and observe her body language.

There was no doubt that our little sister could fight harder than a feral cat, so as I'm the physically strongest in our family, I feel it's going to have to be me who will guide her. I was a teen leader at a survival camp in southern France, so I know how to lead and talk to people. Especially troublemakers, and especially those who put a front.

Afterwards we visited a street market where stalls were sufficiently spaced, and bought some nice things, like a canvas and leather messenger bag similar to mine. I bought it for Tommy, and some clothes for myself including another leather jacket. We laughed as maman bought even more jeans - already she has over 50 pairs, but then similar could be said for her two sisters having a shoe fetish.

We returned to our yacht laden with bags. Julie had bought several kilo jars of local honey which she wheeled along in a wheelie bag to take the jars' weight, and maman had bought jars of yummy peanut butter.

It was an interesting, but revealing day. Now I'm about to ask our little sister just how she came to have a lockpick set. And a pretty professional looking one at that!