Girly-Girl

As Ellie approaches three, the signs are becoming obvious: a twenty minute process to choose her outfit …the careful way she holds herself…the way she seems to “float” when she walks…the insistence she comb her hair each morning AND wear some kind of decoration in it.

The particular joy she had at a friend’s dress-up-makeover-tea party.

You know the kind of party I’m talking about, I’m sure, because these birthday party places are suddenly everywhere. I think they started with Club Libby Lou a few years ago. And now, every quaint downtown and bustling strip mall has a pink limo parked outside and is packed with little girls getting “make-overs” inside.

I know. I was shocked too.

What’s to make-over? Their hair is like corn-silk, they have no hint of smile lines, and they only blemishes to be found are skinned knees.

Or maybe you’re not shocked. Maybe two-year-olds having their nails painted and wrapping themselves in hot pink boas is a nice way to spend an afternoon. Ellie definitely thought so.

And, maybe, I’m not enough of a girly-girl to completely embrace it.

Because the first time Catie was invited to one of these parties, I was dumbfounded when the party attendants applied make-up to her two-year-old face. Really? Disco blue eye shadow? What were we teaching her? What if this started an obsession with bronzer and coral lip gloss that matched her finger and toe nails and she started experimenting with mascara colors?

Turns out, Catie doesn’t really have the girly-girl gene either. She may own several tubes of Hello Kitty! Chapstick, but her attitude seems to be the same as mine: who has the time?

By watching Ellie’s fascination at the teenager party planners painting her toenails coral, I think she may have the girly-girl gene.

Let’s hope she waits a year or two before she tackles bronzer.