little girls acting like little girls....

...and not big girls is a task that proves more difficult by the day.

last week, a very good friend invited my kids to a party at a place called SWEET AND SASSY. sassy is not a word i would want used to describe my girls' tone, demeanor, appearance, or anything else. ever. apparently this is a place where little girls go, get all dolled up-- and i don't mean in their mother's old lingerie and high heels from a dress-up box, either. they are DECKED out in jewels and sparkles and heels that FIT THEM. they get fully made up and walk down a catwalk in a fashion show. i envision hips jutting out, hand on one of them, chins up, and a pouty look on their made up face. NO THANK YOU. i declined, which was no surprise to my friend, and the kids are none the wiser. but then...

monday was picture day for the ballet studio and georgia and jules had to wear their recital costumes for the class picture.

now, normally i am the one mom rushing to daycare from work to pick up her children to have them change in the car. juliet is pretty easy. then when we get there, i park and slap georgia's hair up in the most mangled hairnet contraption you can imagine so that she is presentable for class. georgia's bun ALWAYS falls out during class and another mom has to help fix it sometimes; otherwise, TOO BAD but she is the one little girl with a sweaty ponytail. i always am the last one into the studio and all of the other calm, cool mothers who homeschool their children and have had ALL DAY to shove bobby pins in a bun look at me funny.

but this particular day i left my office an EXTRA fifteen minutes early to ensure i'd have a good looking bun and NOT be the last one there. plus, i was told that juliet and her little bob had to have a bun too. come on, are you serious!!?? apparently so. panic ensued when i opened the door to the studio. the aqua-net cloud was billowing. moms were standing there, each one with a mascara wand and lipstick tube in their hand.

georgia says: you didn't tell me i could wear MAKEUP.

i say: you're right. because you can't.

juliet says: abby is four and she's getting makeup on.

i say: look over there-- abby's crying because the hair spray got in her eyes. that mascara was a mistake.

they want hair spray too, which i didn't bring. i tell them to stand over by sarah and see if any hairspray hits her head. (it did.)

am i mean for not allowing my children to wear makeup, even if for a picture? are they any less cute by being kids and not baby teenagers? i guess it doesn't matter what the answer is. i don't want them to have a taste for what life is like 10 years from now. i want them to feel beautiful just the way they are and not be itching to grow up too fast. let those mothers judge me. they can add 'doesn't allow makeup' to their growing list. while they are at home creating organic, homemade dinners, their kids are watching hannah montana and DYING to be in high school. mine still think the backyardigans are what cool kids watch.

here are my children, au naturel and camera-ready. sorry if their eyelashes don't pop out visually. i think they look fine the way they are!! :)