Thursday, December 11, 2008

Making a Fashion Statement


My Mom had requested a picture of Ally in her "tutu", so here it is. It has already become one of my favorites, and I'm sitting here giggling to myself as I type. I know it's not the most flattering photo. I know it's not anything like what my mother had in mind. I know my child looks like a dirtball with her unwashed faced, her rat's nest hair, her shoes on the wrong feet, her baggy leotard-over-the-sweatpants fashion faux pas . . . But Ally chose the outfit, dressed herself, and was quite happy all day.

What would you do upon seeing a child like this in public? Smile? Question the mother's sanity and/or parenting skills and then quickly place an anonymous call to social services?

I had some errands to run today and Ally didn't want to change. Nor did she want her hair combed. Nor did she want to leave her new favorite buddy behind. So, we went "as is"-- plastic pet and all. Shopping at Walgreen's has never been more fun. I can still hear the noise from the 3 of us running up and down the aisles-- regular Mommy steps, tiny tapping Ally steps, and the loudly-echoing squeakiness of caterpillar wheels on linoleum.

In posting this picture, I realize I'm potentially embarrassing my future teenager-of-a-daughter, but we'll cross that bridge in therapy 15 years from now if we have to. As of yet, Ally still has no concept of embarrassment, and I'm loving every minute of her childhood innocence and the freedom it brings to the both of us. And, judging by the smiles and positive feedback we encountered on today's excursion, my little modeling girl really knows how to liven a crowd and work the runway.

2 comments:

tkangaroo said...

You Go, Miss Ally! Love. It.

Katherine said...

It is one of those interesting phenomenons, that when I see one of those children my response is "oh, how cute". Three, five, or ten children dressed like that and I start to wonder.