A Year Later: Elizabeth Smart Is Normal 16-Year-Old

Wednesday, March 3, 2004
(11:16 AM ET)
The Associated Press

Elizabeth, a high school sophomore, has a job playing and tuning harps and has talked about possibly applying to New York's Juilliard School. She skis, goes to dances and, like any teenage girl, talks on the phone.

SALT LAKE CITY -- AP
Elizabeth Smart's parents call their daughter a normal, independent 16-year-old -- complete with boyfriends, a curfew, a messy room and an overused cell phone.

Her father, Ed Smart, considers it a miracle.

"It's like she just dropped back in and proceeded from where she left off," Ed Smart said, speaking to The Associated Press on Tuesday at the family's Salt Lake City home.

March 12 is the one-year anniversary of Elizabeth's return home after a nine-month abduction that drew worldwide attention. Ed and Lois Smart spoke to an AP reporter Tuesday to promote an upcoming initiative aimed at educating children about safety and self-defense called Partners in Safety.

"The joy and hope we felt last March is what we want to see for others," said Ed Smart.

On the anniversary, open houses are planned at police stations and city halls across Utah. The Utah Girl Scouts and radKIDS, which teaches self-defense tips, will be on hand to teach techniques to empower children, so that "when they're faced with situations, they can deal with them," he said.

For his family personally, March 12 is a "very rejoicing day."

(More: TurnTo10.com/News)

2004 © The Associated Press.

"Normal."

Yeah, just another Brady-girl life. ... the abduction is "the farthest thing from her mind" ... Is Dad serious?!

Dan