Wake Me Up, Before You Go-Go

Day One of the Ultimate Song Lyric challenge. Can you tell?

I'm up REALLY early for a Saturday. For me, anyway. I am fortunate that this travesty doesn't happen all of the time, in fact, it RARELY happens because 1) my husband is a naturally early riser so he gets up with the kids and 2) he likes to let me sleep in a bit and 3) he's a pretty stellar guy.

So, usually, on a weekend, I get woken up before he goes somewhere, as long as it's after 9. Otherwise, he'll just take kids with him.

[No, you can't have him.]

But today was the morning after a sleepover, and the first day of five weeks of Saturday morning soccer. So, are 6:54 AM, here comes Mama.

Dad was nice enough to have coffee made. Frankly, that's mostly self-preservation on his part, but I'll give him bonus points in the "considerate" column just the same.

To be fair though,  I just can't SLEEEEEP INNNNN the way that I used to. I used to be able to sleep until noon or thereabouts with very little effort, but now, even when given the opportunity, I'm usually up by 9. Maybe it's because our current bedroom is less cave-like in the past. Maybe it's the fact the Cinderella has gotten much louder with the running around and jumping during cartoon time. Maybe it's because Belle can't yet speak but she sure can yell to express herself. I hope it's not because I'm cruising the upper half of my thirties...

Put yourself on notice -- I will be taking a nap today. It's only fair.

[NOT] Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny

So there's a secret little Facebook group to which I belong, and it consists of moms and dads of young kids. It's pretty much a forum for asking questions, relating funny stories, and venting about the trials and tribulations of parenthood. I only know two of the members in real life (I never ever see them in person), but I'm starting to know others via the group and frankly, it's a really interesting bunch. And what makes it work, I think, is that very few of us know many of the others, so there's a variety of experiences and perspectives and no one has to worry about someone judging them at carpool the next morning.

Some of the parents are way more crunchy-granola-earth-mother than I (that's not hard to do, actually); some are very outspoken advocates for the environment, others are quietly religious or not-so-quietly not, but everyone wears their civility hats and there are some fruitful and downright delightful discussions.

One of these centered around little girls and their swimwear. A mom asked if anybody had recommendations for swimwear, and how she didn't like two-piece suits on little girls. My response was that I like two-piece suits for our eldest, because it's easier for them to use the bathroom and change when it's wet (versus a one-piece). However, I insist on decent coverage -- no tummies showing -- and nothing that looks like string bikini pieces with triangles over the chest. Lands End has a lot of nice stuff that works well for us, usually tanks with boy shorts or a rash guard t, occasionally a little swim skirt (which our daughter requested). 

Look, I'm not a particularly conservative person, certainly not politically (I MIGHT be a socialist) but when it comes to little girls' clothing, I guess I kind of am. But when a child is 5, or 9, or 2, I don't think it's appropriate to put clothes on her that make it look like she has a bust. I also don't think it's appropriate to let them wear sparkly high-heeled shoes to school (yeah, I'm looking at you, Suri). Around the house? Sure! Dress up! Wear high heels! Wear your princess dress! I'm the girl who cleans the house in a t-shirt with the neck ripped out, boxer shorts, and a sparkly tiara, so I get it. I GET IT.

But if you can't run without falling, you can't be a kid. And if you look like you're trying to be 15, you're not enjoying where you are RIGHT NOW. And once you start caring about how your body looks, the way that girls and women do, you can't NOT.

Kids grow up so fast -- what they see on tv and hear on the radio pushes them down the tunnel of tweendom and pop culture before we think they're ready...why would we want to rush that even more? Hearing my daughter say "You look sexy, Mama" really bothers me, especially because she doesn't know what it means. I ask her, and she said "It means you look like you're ready to be married with someone." 

Yep, that's right. That's EXACTLY what it means. And seeing as she doesn't want to get married until she's at least 30 years old, I think my plan is working.

And if all else fails, there's this: