Friday, February 17, 2006

Damn, the Hormones!

At the risk of sounding redundant...

(redundant and pathetic)

...it's Friday night. Tater's at work, Dillon's out at a movie with his friends (something with a "3" in it. I asked him to repeat it twice but each time I only caught the "3". I gather it's something I wouldn't watch anyway), and Mackenzie's at Brittany's house, where she went after school. I'm home alone. Well, home alone except for the dog. But there's only so much time a girl can kill playing "Fetch the Little Man". Even "Fetch the Little Man" after two margaritas has a limited fun-factor.

I noticed this week that my little tomboy has turned into a full-fledged girl. For years, all she would wear was shorts or jeans with t-shirts. And NO pink. Pink was for the devil and anything that touched her body must have no pink on it. Last fall she started wearing skirts. Even a pink skirt. And then I noticed that she actually washed her hair every day, instead of covering it up with ponytails and do-rags. Now she's taken to adorning it with sparkly heart barrettes or colorful clips. She's been shaping her nails (!). And the make-up*. I bought her some fun yellow-green eye shadow last year and it's been making an appearance on her eyes some mornings.

But the worst of the worst is the talking on the phone. About nothing. Literally nothing. I've seen them run out of things to say in 5 minutes and then spend the next hour watching the same Full House rerun while commenting on it when things got too awkwardly quiet. In her defense, I haven't actually seen her doing the calling, but she doesn't say "bye" and hang up either...

And then she's developed a bit of a funk-factor. But I don't mind that so much. Like wearing 2 completely different earrings or 2 different color eyeshadows, a scarf as accessory or belt, stickers on her cheeks, or 2 different patterned socks. These, I can appreciate.

I didn't realize it would happen so soon. I really expected another 2-3 years before this happened and I wasn't prepared. She's actually starting to like shopping! And she gets up early to take a shower every day. This is the girl that I tried to get into afternoon kindergarten so I could avoid a fight every weekday morning for an entire year. And now she actually is working at looking like a girl. I'll be damned.

It's actually pretty cool. I've been outnumbered around here for far too long.

*I was always one of those who said, "No makeup until she's 16. Natural beauty is best. Blah, blah, blah." But it turns out that her wearing a bit of eye shadow and some lip gloss isn't hurting anyone or anything. And it makes her happy. No harm, no foul.

6 comments:

Irish Eyes said...

John, being the best gay best friend fashion consultant I've ever known, doesn't let me buy pink. Will actually walk away from me if I try to purchase something pink. He should be friends with your daughter's former self!

Anonymous said...

Ah, they grow up fast, don't they? We didn't let K where "real" makeup till this year (she's almost 14) - though I let her wear some cover-up powder when the joys of teen facial hormones came out to play. We are fortunate that she knows how to be moderate, unlike some of her friends who resemble racoons in the eye department! Is she infatuated with taking her picture yet? That is all that K and her friends seem to do - take pictures, upload them to the computer, and load them to their myspace pages. Vain little things, LOL!

Annie, The Evil Queen said...

With me as one of her fashion icons, how did you not see this coming? Wait until I start sending her fancy tights and platform shoes.

I wouldn't worry too much about the make up. You wear very little and always look gorgeous so she's got a fine example to follow.

As far as hte phone goes, you're screwed. But don't give in and get her her own line. The road to perdition.

Paige said...

Perdition: (noun) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death.

Brooke said...

I love pink. And lip gloss. What's so wrong with that?

Annie, The Evil Queen said...

I'm with Brooke. Up with Pink!