My daughter got made fun of on the playground the other day
by an older girl for wearing pull ups – at the time she was still 2 years
old. “You’re wearing Pampers!” she
said. “No, I’m not” my daughter said,
“They’re princess frog pull ups” and she went back to playing. The girl tried a few more times to insist,
but when she got no response, eventually she gave up. Imagine her reaction if she’d realized they
weren’t even Pampers – they were generic!
I made a face at the dad next to me and informed him my daughter was 2,
not that it was anyone’s business how old my daughter was or how our potty
training was going. “Tough crowd” he
replied, laughing.
It amazes me how cliquey some of the girls are before they
even reach kindergarten in our town. I
lived here back when this place was mostly farm country, classified as a
village and with a post office so small that it didn’t serve as ours even
though we lived 2 miles down the road.
Good schools and easy commuting to both Dayton
and Cincinnati (even Columbus
in this economy, truth be told) brought an influx of people that changed both
the size and character of the neighborhood.
If only some of the uppity moms and their families could have seen this
place then. I know that there will be a
lot more pressure and teasing as the years go by and my girls grow up, and I
suppose it would exist anywhere. So I
will do what I can to make sure my daughters are kind and inclusive, including
being a good role model.
I hope we can continue to foster the kind of self confidence
my oldest daughter has right now – the kind that lets her walk up to anyone she
sees and ask them to play, and not get upset if someone says no to that
request. The kind that had her
orchestrating a huge game of hide and go seek with kids more than twice her age
just after the diaper incident. You go,
sweet girl. You are audacious. You enthusiasm is infectious, and you are
caring and sweet, not competitive and exclusive. Own it.
And don’t lose it!
This is an original post written for Ohio Moms Blog.
Steph can also be found sharing her problem solvin' approach to live at Problem Solvin Mom and on twitter as @psmom.
