divas

as soon as i sat down at the computer earlier tonight, ella walked out of the bathroom at the top of the steps and stood looking down through the banister rails on the landing...not wearing a stitch of clothing. i'm convinced that she's her happiest either when she's completely naked, or when she has so many random articles of clothing on that she can barely move. just this afternoon, with the sun shining and a warm breeze blowing, she walked out of my mom's house wearing long sleeves, pants, and a raincoat. this is the same child who, at about a year old, used to take her diaper off in the middle of the night and sleep commando. the same child who, when was told to get dressed for bed, came downstairs in a bikini swimsuit. and the same child who, on occassion, will dress herself at night and wake up the next day fully clothed and ready to go. one morning i pulled the covers back and there she was, wearing a shirt and skirt and tights.

and then there's madelyn. madelyn has always been very fashion conscious. now, she has been known to throw together some very off-the-wall outfits, but for the most part, she knows how to match and accessorize. i distinctly remember dragging her, kicking and screaming, through st. bethlehem elementary's parking lot to her kindergarten christmas musical because she wasn't wearing the right shoes. i had just bought her a new pair of suede black flats that were slightly too large, so she had to wear her black leather mary janes instead. this did not please her whatsoever. spectators must've thought that i had chopped the child's feet off and THAT was the reason she was crying so much. no, it was just that she didn't like wearing "last season's" shoes. we ended up missing the musical altogether.

it frustrates me to no end, dealing with my mini-divas over things that are of such little importance. like shoes, for instance. or, in ella's case, getting her to put on underwear instead of streaking through the house. but if i think about it, i was the exact same way when i was little. picture it: elkton, 1988. it was january, i was in the 3rd grade, and i had just returned from christmas vacation. i had just gotten back from florida the night before, where i had spent christmas and new year's with my family. we had gone there with the basketball team; my sister, jennnifer, was a cheerleader. because we had been out of town, mom hadn't done any laundry, and i didn't have anything to wear to school. i remember i owned this outfit that was totally cool: a long, hot pink and black striped turtleneck sweater with hot pink sweater leggings. for some reason, the top was dirty, and mom made me wear the pants with a white sweater. a short, white sweater. even at 8, i knew this outfit was hideous. i didn't want to wear it. i was mortified. the world truly ended on that day.

it's funny how, when we get older, we tend to forget about all of those things that were such a big deal when we were younger. children are innocent. they haven't yet had to face meeting deadlines at work, or paying the mortgage, or any of the other things that are such big deals to us as adults. to them, having to wear a short white sweater with pink sweater leggings compares to being overdrawn in the checking account. likewise, being the line leader is just as important as getting that huge promotion. i really need to remember that the next time the girls are being overly dramatic and completely irrational. after all, they come by it honest--they learned from the best!