My sweet little baby is a teen. If you seasoned Mama's are shaking your head in pity, I'll take it. Even Goddess Babies have teen moments :).
Living the life we do, we do not have to conform to the status quo. I am thankful for that, but always knew that ONE DAY, my bubble would burst.
The big needle came in the apparition of a "formal dance" my Goddess Baby was to attend. She does not attend school, this was her first opportunity for a formal dance. Since this was part of a state wide, annual event, attended by teens, the pictures of past dances were to be found all over the internet via Facebook. I had to control my face while viewing the pictures, I knew what was coming.
We dress Gypsy. Vintage. Funky. The thrift store is our mall. We pay no more than $3.99 for Abercrombie jeans, and barely fork out $10 for boots.
For days I watched my Goddess Baby try on hideous clothes that made her look like she jumped out of a B version of a bridesmaid movie, but I bit my tongue. Frustration. First experiences with "I have to conform with this style, it makes me gag, but I want to fit in, but I really don't want to fit in". Sound familiar? Nothing worked, it was my chance!
"How about we take one of the dresses we found at the thrift store clearance and alter it?" I say. "We were going to cut them up anyways....". Bait, and hook.
It took a little back and forth, a few tears, some tough love.
Before:
After:
Happy Gypsy Goddess Baby:
Cost: $0.62 for the dress, $4 for the dye, $1-4 for the embellishments.
In the end, she was fabulously flamboyant, and lovin' it. One girl offered to buy her dress for $400!!!! (wonder if that check would have gone through??? We are cash only, just for the record :)..), but by then she had bonded with her dress. We even made it so it can be changed into another style with the flip of a stitches.
Ahhh...how I love valuable lessons.
Much love,
Heike
6 comments:
There are the cookie-cutter styles for the masses and there are the artsy designer styles for the elite. And then, there are the trailblazers, those who follow their own beat. Love the philosophy, and the dress turned out beautiful!
It looks gorgeous on her! Love what you did with it, and the color, oh my! So vibrant! Pretty blue!
Hurray for funky gypsy and a young girl (woman) who is not afraid to be herself. What a great lesson from a great mama.
Thank you, beautiful women :). I am passing these comments on to my baby...both because I WAS RIGHT :),and because I love when she realizes she "cool different".
now that is amazing.
and so are you.
april
Fabulous to see you, April! :)
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