I dragged Chloe shopping this morning because it was time to find her something, other than jeans or sweatpants, that she would be willing to wear on the lower half of her body.  This was a do-or-die situation, with a very clear deadline.  Friends have invited us to dinner next weekend, and they’re taking us to their country club, which has a strict no-jeans policy.

We went to a local store that caters to the tween and teenage set.  The owner was eager to help us, and Chloe was loud in her silence each time she asked my daughter if she liked something.  After a few minutes of muteness, Chloe begrudgingly agreed to try on a few items of clothing that were not too girly or brightly colored.

A few minutes into her session in the dressing room, she called for me and I opened the curtain, only to see Chloe gasp in shame and then anger because she didn’t have a shirt on and what was I thinking opening up the curtain and exposing her to the world?  The more I apologized, the angrier she became.  When I told her it was an accident and pointedly asked her how I was supposed to know she wasn’t completely dressed – and remarked that, seeing as though she was the one who beckoned me, she should have warned me to refrain from opening the curtain before I opened it – she looked like she was about to explode.

At that particular point in time, I was nothing more than a big bug Chloe wanted to crush.  The look in her eyes was worth a thousand curse words that she’s not allowed to use.  Rather than continuing to apologize (for something that wasn’t my fault), I sat back down in the moms’ seat and waited for her to try on the rest of the clothes.

Shockingly enough, even after that episode, Chloe still managed to find a few things she liked.  And she even agreed to allow me to buy her simple black skirt, which she wore tonight to a party, along with a new top and sweater, black tights and a pair of super cool almost-knee high gray boots.

She looked terrific.  She vows that she will not be caught dead in the skirt at school, but admits that she’d wear it outside of school, to certain events.  I recognize that it may be under duress that she wears the skirt again, but that’s ok.  I love jeans.  But I love seeing Chloe wear something other than jeans even more.