Dressing Rooms

It wasn't that long ago that I could pick up a size twelve bathing suit or a size twelve pair of jeans in a store and be reasonably sure that when I got them home a) Zoe would like them and/or b) they would fit. Things are different now. The clothes have to be just right, which is easy to understand - she IS almost ten, but the complicated part is trying to find something that FITS! We're now becoming acquainted with dressing rooms.

This afternoon Zoe is at a pool birthday party. It dawned on me late this morning that it was unlikely any of her suits from the summer would fit, so we dug out the summer clothes, found three suits, tried them all on - no luck. Off we went, on a mission, to find a swimsuit in February. Fortunately that is not too hard, since stores seem to stock items three to four months BEFORE you need them. It was like shopping for a swimsuit for myself, in that we had to try on five or six suits before we found one that fit, covered the right parts, AND was comfortable.

I've been worrying about this day for years. When I had a say, her wardrobe mainly consisted of Lands End and LL Bean clothing because I didn't want my little girl wearing things that looked so teenage-ish. Now she wants that look, which I can live with, but nothing fits right. She is a size sixteen, which is the end of the line in girls clothes, but she doesn't have a junior body, so now what??? I guess we'll just keep spending our free time in dressing rooms.