Thirteen-year-olds know a lot. Just ask mine; she’ll tell you so.
They especially know about what you should or should not be wearing to be “kewl”.
Yesterday I took my kids and friends to float down the Guadalupe River. Yes, it was me and four kids all day long and yes, you should be showering me with sympathy.
Afterwards, I changed into a sundress. I still had on the black velcro water sandals that I had worn all day. I thought I looked decent enough. One, I wasn’t trying to impress anyone, and two, I looked a lot better than other women I saw exiting the river. But I guess I was wrong. Just ask my daughter.
We stopped to eat dinner on the way home and she gave me the quick once-over as I got out of the car. She gasped.
“Oh, Mom! You’re not wearing THAT into the restaurant, are you?!” she managed to croak.
I looked down at my ensemble. Like I said, it just wasn’t that bad.
“Well, yes. And besides, it’s all I have because my T-shirt got wet in the river, so I can’t wear my jeans.” I shouldn’t have had to make excuses, but a thirteen-year-old can be very intimidating.
Her friends joined in and before I knew it they were holding up towels so I could change clothes in the car. They dressed me in jeans and an Old Navy T-shirt they pulled out from somewhere, and although platform sandals would have been preferable to the “ugly” tennis shoes I own, they were pleased with the result.
It’s hard to imagine I’ve been doing this on my own for years. And doing it wrong, I guess.
Just ask my daughter.
