It's off shoe shopping tonight. Yep, the prom for dear daughter is two weeks away, and we have dress, but no shoes. Now this isn't officially college stuff, but I'm looking at it as the last rites of high school. It's probably also the last time for a while we'll be shopping for dress-up stuff.
For a little history, we went through the school uniform phase, the goth phase, the skanky/grunge phase and now after years of changes I am seeing colors like pink and purple show up in her wardrobe. To be honest I was totally baffled by the whole goth phase. In high school I went for the "I don't want to stand out look" My daughter's whole approach was to stand out - so she went to church in black pants with chains, showed up at a museum in fishnets and boots and has dyed her auburn hair black for three years straight. At this point - I have a hard time remembering what her hair really looks like! There were parents we'd known since grade school who would just glare at her, while some of the elderly ladies in our neighborhood told her they liked how she looked. You just don't know how people will react, or how quickly they'll judge. It was a learning period for me too.
Even further back, this was the child that loved Disney Princess gowns and dressed up in my cast-offs. I'd hear her clunking around in my high heels while she sang songs. Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz was a particular favorite, and yes I was the witch!
So tonight we're off looking for dress/dance shoes and it will be fun. For all our differences, we have always had a great time together. She inspires me to take chances, and I try to tone down her edge just a bit. And most importantly - we make each other laugh. That's one thing I will miss when she's at school - her quirky sense of humor on a daily basis.
