Truths: School Pictures – what happened?

It seems like yesterday that I was buying cute little outfits for school picture day and laying them out the night before. My daughter happy to wear the new clothes and, for me, to curl her hair.

In fact, it also seems like yesterday that I was taking her to the mall to one of those chain picture stores for all her milestone birthdays. God forbid I forget one!

I would pick the cutest outfit and nervously walk into the studio surrounded by both amazing photos of children and screaming moms and babies.

I would plan the whole thing around nap times and lunch times and I would pray that Abby would be happy and cooperative. God doesn’t always answer our prayers.

I would put her up on the mini stage surrounded by anything cute for the picture and then the minute I would walk away, she would cry or crawl the other way or knock down the alphabet blocks.

I would begin to have an anxiety attack and the entire room would grow so hot, I would be sweating.

Somehow, amongst all the complete chaos, we would manage to get at least two good pictures and then I would spend my life savings buying them for every living relative and friend.

Yeah, that seems like yesterday and after today – doesn’t seem all that bad anymore.

See, Abby actually cared about pictures today. She started last night thinking about what she was going to wear. Asking my opinion but not really wanting it.

As last night came to a close, she picked out a cute dress, completely inappropriate for the weather, but we learn to pick our battles…at least it was cute.

Speaking of picking battles… does anyone remember (before kids) going to the grocery store and seeing a little girl dressed in a Cinderella costume (not during Halloween)? Do you remember thinking, “Why on Earth would any decent parent let their kid wear THAT?”

Or seeing a child dressed in pajamas walking around the store and wondering the same thing? And, then, thinking, “When I am a parent I will never let my kid out in public like that?”

And, then you have kids and you realize that the only fricking way you are getting to the store today is if you let Tommy wear his cowboy outfit or Jane wear her Dora PJ’s… and you don’t really care what they have on as long as you can get to the store today!

So, we all learn early to pick our battles over clothes…and none of it seems as hard as when your daughter is on the verge on puberty and being a teenager.

The outfit that was good last night was suddenly the worse thing in the world to wear today. And, I was being summoned to the upstairs in a desperate cry for help.

Sigh…

The truth is I had no business being there because no matter what I suggested it was all wrong… It was stupid or ugly or I just got the roll of the eyes. I kept wondering why I was there at all.

And, I started to even wonder why I haven’t paid more attention to her wardrobe. In the last few months she has gotten just about every t-shirt and sweatshirt and jeans from Aero imaginable….and yet, here we are with nothing to wear. I must be up for mom of the year!

Abby became frantic – running out of time – near tears that her picture would be ruined…until I, yes, me, had an idea that she liked.

I am not saying I liked it – but it was as good as the princess outfit she wore to Jewel a few years ago…and it was better than some of the things she put together this morning.

As she walked out the door – all I could do was gasp for air… because I know this is only the beginning of the tumultuous relationship to come between me, her and clothes.

Quite frankly, it is the beginning of the fighting for the two of us for the next 7 years.

Sure makes sweating it out at the mall seem like a dream!