And into my life came - a daughter ! :) I understood two truths almost immediately ...
- While my dressing sense was a more or less indifferent, be-comfortable, on-the-go kind of fashion accident - I found I was more thoughtful with my daughter's clothes. Not only from an utility perspective but from a sartorial viewpoint too.
- I probably had only 12 years in which I could dress her up to my heart's content b'cos the truth is, she is most likely going to go around in torn / patched up jeans and gothic tees later on ! :)
Well - it turned out to be even shorter than that. 8 years only ! :)
I am now saying bye to those bunch of colourful, glitzy and multi-hued ribbons, those swirling fizzy skirts and bright flashy hair pins. Glittery bangles / bracelets, vivid bow-tie hair-bands, innumerable flower adornments in all shapes and sizes are lying idle.
I did not devote much time on shoes / sandals since I firmly believe in a no-high-heels policy for children so the selection tended to be quick.
I learnt couple more hair styles than the ubiquitous French braid - it is now an unused skill !!
All in all - I think I spent more time in the girl's section for clothes, accessories and the like than I ever spent on my wedding regalia ! Ha ha ha ....
Today's reality -
- She does her own hair [ on holidays ]. She is in too much of a hurry to allow me it seems. So although the messy, bumpy hairstyle with many loose strands makes me wince I allow her to go to play in that ... She is proud of her creation after all ! :)
- Her favourite attire is a dress that I had had made from old scraps on a whim !!!
- My neighbour's teen has a better idea of what is a 'cool ensemble' than I do. I am has-been in this department.
- She tells me couple of girls in her school worry that they are fat and do not eat well and asks me if she should do the same. [ Shocking !! ]
And a hint of more changes to come
- When I take her pics now - she makes crazy faces or has specific poses ! Says - all I do is click very boring pictures of her smiling all the time !
- Listening to me - is now an optional activity ! :) In a sweet-steamroller-way - she merrily continues what she is doing !
- Admonishes me - "Mama, you told me to focus on the positive first , so how come when I showed you what I had done - you focused on the mistake first ? How come ??? " - Guilty as charged ...
All changes point to one thing - I need new skills to navigate these shifting sands ! :)
