So, my twelve year old daughter is all about being cool these days. The right clothes, right sneakers, right jacket, right electronics. But, she doesn't come shopping with me so she gets Aero and Old Navy when it's on sale and she doesn't really know the difference. The cell phone she just had to have is a prepaid and when she's out of minutes, too bad, so sad, she has to wait for her service date until we'll add more, and she has to do chores and keep her grades up to earn those minutes. We caved and got her an Ipod Touch for Christmas. That was a huge step for us, because when the "in" thing was the Nintendo DSi we made the kiddos save up and pay for it themselves.
Apparently that makes us evil, but not as evil as we were when we told the kids, no, you cannot each have your own laptop. Such monsters. I'm waiting for Child Protective Services to come knocking on our door.
I was thoroughly shocked the other night to find out that nerd glasses are suddenly cool at her school. Basically what "all the kids are doing" is popping out the lenses of some black, thick framed sunglasses, and wearing them all day at school. It's... like... soooo cool mom!
Now, my dear daughter actually has to wear prescription glasses. Poor kid inherited my genes in that department and she's blind as a bat. She just happens to be due for a new pair. The other night, as I'm tucking her in, she tells me that she wants nerd glasses when we order her new pair. Sorry kid, not happening. And in her eyes, Monster Mom rides again.
*whiny girl voice* "But Mooooommm, everyone says they look soooooo good on me and they're, like, sooooo cool! Why can't I? If you don't like them, are you saying the entire school (of twelve and thirteen year olds) is wrong? Because they all think I look cool in them!"
Again, I tell her that we'll pick something she likes, but it's not going to be 1950's nerd glasses.
She starts to cry. Seriously? Like I already don't feel like a jerk when I have to say no to some of her crazy ideas, she has to turn on the water works? I said good night to her and told her we'd finish the conversation in the morning. By then, I was hoping she would forget. Not quite. She put those nerd frames on and headed out the door. That day, she came home still wearing them talking about how she "lost" her real glasses. Hmm, does she think I was born yesterday? I found them under her father's recliner.
Remember back when you lived in the moment and didn't think that what is supposedly cool right now wouldn't still be cool six months from now? Well, that's where we're at. I can see it now. In another three months, that one little mean kid will make a nasty comment about the nerd glasses she just had to have and she'll come home from school wailing about how we have to go get new ones now.
I know I should be embracing and encouraging her individuality and sense of choice and need to make decisions for herself, but let's face it. Kids can be little a**holes to each other. And I know she hasn't really thought about it past the novelty of the big ugly glasses that make people laugh. We'll see if she's laughing 20 years from now when she sees those frames in her school picture. Because that will end up being the picture that the mean kids put in her senior yearbook for the flashback picture. It sucks, but it is what is.
Now raise your hands if you want to be the one to go to the optometrist with her next week to pick new frames! Anyone? Anyone? Yeah, didn't think so, but it was worth a shot.
Until next time...
