The Quiet Strength of Margot Frank
The earliest records of Margot Frank paint a picture of a delicate child with a quiet, thoughtful nature. Her early years were marked by a slow start; she was a “quite a weak baby, gaining weight and strength slowly,” and she reacted badly to her vaccinations. Her mother, Edith, even noted how Margot would point to the scar months later, saying “au.”
As a toddler, it became clear that Margot resembled the Holländer side of the family, having inherited her mother’s “thoughtful, lucid eyes and abundance of dark hair.” She was exceptionally photogenic, with many surviving pictures attesting to her beauty, yet her baby book contains the interesting note: “Margot is afraid of being photographed.”
This small detail hints at her quiet, gentle nature. She was universally described as “gentle and kind,” a disposition that earned her affection from those around her. Her innate shyness did not, however, prevent her from participating in a normal childhood, as she still played happily with the neighborhood children.
Margot’s early life, as chronicled by her mother and biographers, reveals a girl of quiet grace and inner depth. She was the calm, clever “big sister” who would later provide a steady, kind presence in the tense confines of the Secret Annex, a girl whose quiet strength made a profound impact on those who knew her.