She stomped out of the house yesterday morning at 8.15 completely irate that I'd made two pigtails to keep her hair out of her face, instead of one ponytail. (Silly me.) "I look like a dork!!!!" she huffed.
The night before there'd been much drama because I was ever so gently but firmly insisting that a turtleneck was going to be a necessary part of the outfit for school because it is below freezing outside. "It's not cool to wear a turtleneck!!" she yelled. Fine. I'll take the 96 outfits that you have, 94 more than most kids in the world will ever have, and make them disappear. "NO!" she said. "I'll wear them. Just not this month."
People, she's SEVEN. She's in FIRST GRADE.
I knew the time was coming, the time when my vision of sweet corduroy jumpers and matching turtlenecks and tights would be kicked to the curb in favor of skinny jeans and sweatshirts. I knew I'd hear the words "I look like a dork!" and "it's not cool!", and I knew I'd get to see the backside of an indignant kid stomping off to the bus stop.
I just thought......I just thought I had more time.
And she's one of the more innocent seven-year-olds, as near as I can tell. She hasn't seen High School Musical, she hasn't had a professional pedicure, and [shock! gasp!] she doesn't know any Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers songs. This is not bragging here, this is just...... wondering why childhood is getting so short.
What's the rush, world?
But then she came home from school, full of sunshine and happy stories about her day, and I remembered again [sigh] that this is a process, a journey, in which we will sometimes take great leaps forward (towards using the word 'dork', I guess) and sometimes we will listen to the happy giggles of a seven year old who loves her baby sister's slide as much as any two year old, and love love love living in the moment.
7 comments:
Cute picture of Cecilie! :)
I believe Sage has had three professional pedicures. And she's four. Then again, I didn't have my FIRST one til I was in my 20s (when the woman's water broke while she was working on my toes) so I guess I'm overcompensating!
Wow. She suddenly looks so grown up.
First of all, I am SOOOOO glad to hear that C. isn't up on the "tween" (which now starts at age 3) pop culture world. Even though I don't know her, it's just a comfort to know that there's a kid out there who's just ... a kid.
Secondly, I remember being seven and having a very similar fashion collision with my mum about a sailor suit she insisted I wear. "But all the kids make fun of me when I wear it," I pleaded. They didn't, actually, but I was pulling out all the stops. I think it's just an age where you want to start claiming control of the elements you can and deciding - even if you LOVE turtle necks - whether or not you want to wear one that day.
I think I started to disagree with my mother about clothes as soon as I could talk. Well, maybe not quite so soon but I still don't wear pink. Her advice on wearing separates for more outfits was sound.
yeah, my "little girl" is 13 now. Yesterday she counted for me and her brother the fact that her new favorite pair of pants has 27 rips down the front. Yes, with her own money she bought new pants because they look not new.
We had to insist she can only wear them with tights. Wayyy to much skin for a 13 year old...or 20 year old.
Parenting...who knew?
My nephew is 5 and insists on putting together his own outfits, chosing what to buy in the shop, and sulks the whole day if his hair gel is not done to his liking... he'd rather go clothes shopping than play football... not sure what that says about the future..
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