The Day My Closet Became a Playground
Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, “Who dressed me in the dark?” Well, friends, I recently lived that nightmare. Except, it wasn’t the dark that was to blame, but a tiny human with a penchant for clashing patterns and a complete disregard for social norms. Yes, I let my three-year-old daughter, Lily, be my personal stylist for an entire week.
It all started innocently enough. One morning, as I was frantically trying to get ready for work, Lily dragged a princess dress and a cowboy hat over to me. “Mommy wear this!” she declared, her eyes wide with excitement. Now, I’m all for a little fun, but a princess dress and a cowboy hat don’t exactly scream “board meeting.” However, the sheer joy on her face was impossible to resist. “How about we save that for a special occasion?” I tried to reason. Big mistake. Her bottom lip trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes. “But I want YOU to wear it!”
And that’s how I, a grown woman with a master’s degree and a healthy fear of public humiliation, found myself agreeing to the most ridiculous fashion challenge of my life.
Day 1: The Princess Cowgirl
“Just embracing my inner child,” I chirped, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity.
The day was a whirlwind of double-takes, raised eyebrows, and whispered comments. Surprisingly, though, it was also strangely liberating. I mean, when you’re wearing a princess dress and a cowboy hat to a meeting, there’s really nothing left to lose, right? I found myself speaking up more confidently and worrying less about what people thought.
Day 2: The Rainbow Explosion
If I thought Day 1 was bad, Day 2 took things to a whole new level. Lily, emboldened by her newfound power, decided that more was more. She dressed me as if I were a walking rainbow, with every color of the spectrum represented in my outfit. We’re talking a striped shirt, polka-dot leggings, a floral skirt (worn over the leggings, naturally), and mismatched socks.