Then we went to the bathroom.
And 5 minutes later, she said she had to go the bathroom again. So we went back. I asked her if she needed to use the potty, and she said, "I need to twirl first."
And she did. And I let her twirl for 5 minutes. Because I know that feeling. That, "I'm having a great time, but I'm a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people and sensory input, and I need to just take a step back and have a moment of quiet alone time."
Do you know how long it took me to realize I needed that oasis, even (especially) at parties, just for a minute to calm my mind. And how many years after that, even, the guilt, "Why can't I just enjoy myself!?" at a party. I was well into my 30s when I realized it was part of who I was. That I could be having fun and still be overwhelmed and need to regroup, with no insult to the party or the company, or myself. I'm from a family of basically extroverts and of all of us, I'm the least socially energized, so I never recognized or learned that there were different ways to be present.
And that it was okay to take a minute to twirl quietly in the bathroom for a few minutes to get my mind clear and re-center myself so I could go back out the party and be awesome.
I'm so proud of her for being so clear about who she is that she knows when to take a time out. At the moment, I have an introvert for a daughter*, and she's awesome, and I can totally work with that.
*I know that could change. Introverts can become more extroverted and it's a continuum, not a binary setting. But for the moments, its enough that I recognize the signs and accommodate the person she is.