Susan GrahamThe Girl Who Wouldn't Wear Pants
November 18th 2008 01:30
Photo courtesy Bloomingdales.com
If the seam of her sock hits the tip of her toes in just the wrong way, she could end up on the floor screaming in frustration. If a sleeve is a bit too puffy or a neckline a tad too tight, forget making it to the bus stop on time. We have had to cut out every tag in every dress she's ever owned. And at any given moment she has at least 20 pairs of panties in her drawer that she refuses to wear because they either "don't feel right" or they give her wedgies.
It's sad because we love to buy her new clothes, and she loves to get new clothes. But she is so stinking picky we have almost given up. Before school started, my mother and I took her out shopping for school clothes. We must have bought her at least 10 new outfits, making sure she tried everything on beforehand. Three months later, she is down to wearing the same two outfits every week because everything else "doesn't fit right." Of course, this is after she's worn everything at least once and we've washed them, so we can't take them back to the store.
Which brings me to the pants issue. Every winter, we go into a panic about what Princess is going to wear. The past few years, she has worn dresses with really thick tights. But tights just aren't as warm as pants, and this year she's going out to the playground at school every day. She has agreed to start wearing "leggings," those tight cotton pants that go under the tunic-style shirts. But leggings aren't much warmer than tights, and they usually don't go down to her ankles.
So we've been trying to slowly integrate pants into Princess' wardrobe. Last night, I took her to JC Penney, and she agreed to let me buy her two pairs of velvety pants that are kind of like sweatpants. They were a little big, so I put them in the hamper to wash them. She has not yet worn them in public, so we'll soon find out if I wasted my $30.
If she is agreeable to the velvety pants, perhaps we can move her to the "heavy stuff" like jeans. That would be ideal for the winter. But I guess we'll have to take it one step at a time.
My daughter is such a unique creature. She drives me up a wall each and every day, yet I can't help but love her spunk and passion. Princess is not a girl who wanders through life with a dopey smile on her face. The world has to EARN her smile. She watches all her friends at school wear pants and socialize and giggle about Hannah Montana and the latest video game. Princess doesn't follow the crowd. She could care less about Hannah Montana, but give her some colored pencils and a blank piece of paper and she'll draw you the prettiest rainbow you ever saw.
My daughter may never decide to wear pants -- I laugh when I picture her at 25 years old rock climbing in a pink lacey sundress -- but at least she wears the pants in her own mind. She is in charge of her own beliefs, not society. I admire her for that.
| 60 |
| Vote |
Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Budget Centsability
I wasn't in the least bit prissy wither but obviously a pain when it came to clothing. Flanellette was my worst nightmare as I couldn't stand to touch it. Nice to know there are other fusspots out there