The Littlest Joe is 12 years old. She is in the seventh grade. She is almost the youngest girl in her class. Most of her friends have already turned 13. There are a couple 14 year olds tossed in the mix. I have noticed that some of these girls wear makeup. I haven't noticed anything too crazy. I've seen a little eye shadow, eye liner, mascara and lip goo of varying types. I've told my Joe that I would let her wear some makeup at thirteen. There are many problems with this. One problem is her mother's lack of make-up applying skills. I don't wear make-up. I can not teach her a thing!! Occasionally (And I mean super rarely) I will throw on some mascara and lip gloss. While I am not a make-up wearer, I am convinced that I should be. I buy all kinds of make-up that I don't wear. This over abundance of make-up works out very well for a sneaky 12 year old who knows that if she takes makeup from my bag, I will never notice. Recently, I have been finding makeup that previously belonged to me in The Littlest Joe's room. This drives me batty. We are constantly battling about my rules. I don't want to see my baby looking like an adult human in make-up. I am torn, however, because she never looks crazy with the makeup on. On several occasions, I had to admit to myself that she looked really pretty... I am sure that there are bigger battles I could be fighting. I get worried, however, that my giving in to The Joes tells them that they can forever ignore my rules when they are not convenient for them. I need to learn to pick my battles but I am never sure which battle is a battle I can afford to lose. The Littlest Joe will be 13 at the end of August. She has about 5 months. I may need to let this make-up rule quietly die. And maybe I'll teach her a lesson that life is flexible and people who are inflexible have a greater chance of missing out on growth or joy or mother/daughter moments with their little joes...
No comments:
Post a Comment