This is much harder to do than say! Trust me. This funky outfit- to say the least, was Phoebe’s choice of clothing for Sunday mass. The First Holy Communion mass, at that. I asked that all the kids pick out their outfits, including socks and shoes. Well, before I could make it to Phoebe, think Mom actually taking a shower, she was already dressed and with shoes on. When I walked in to check on her outfit, (control freak much?) she was beaming at her accomplishment of having obeyed my request. The first time. Not only had she picked out her outfit and shoes, she had successfully put them on… Including her shoes!!!! This is HUGE. Really. HUGE. How could I burst her bubble? She was so proud. As a matter of fact, so was I! At that moment I had two choices. A good one: to praise my daughter for good listening skills, or a bad one: reprimand her for not putting on church clothes. They did not match, they were not appropriate for mass, and furthermore, it was not cute, at all!
I took the high road, and let it go! That old saying, pick your battles, when it comes to parenting, is so true. I chose to love my daughter and her behavior rather than worry what others might think. 10 years ago, I would have never taken this road. My now 10 year old, was perfectly put together at all times. How very stressful that was. Add three more kiddos and more wisdom to the mix and voila, you get a very mismatched outfit but an adorable princess who followed instructions the first time. So, I have learned to Let it go… And it feels so good!
Plane To Sea 