Allowing your child to be who they want to be……

I bring this subject up with a heavy heart because I don’t want people to think I I don’t love my daughter or that I would never not be proud of her, I’m bringing up the topic because I know there are other parents that must feel the way that I do. I’m a girly girl. I’m pretty sure I have been all of my life. I played with my dolls and I played house and all of that while growing up. I love anything pink, fancy and sparkly. I love my nails painted, a nice hair do, make up and a good pair of heels. I love shopping for purses and new cloths and dresses for the summer. So obviously when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter I was more than happy. That little girl growing inside my belly became my world (well she still is of course). On October 27th 2010 I became one lucky woman bringing that sweet bundle of joy into this world.

I dressed her in everything and anything pink and purple. Then Post Partum Depression kicked in. I barley left the house, I started dressing her in PJ’s everyday because every time I put jeans or anything itchy on her she just seemed so uncomfortable, so if we weren’t leaving the house why bother making her wear all that dressy crap! Every time I put something in her hair, she’d pull it out. As the months went on my baby girl developed her cute little spunky personality. She was a lazy baby but man was she a good baby. She was always content just being with me (my goodness she still is only imagine it x 100 because that’s how fast she goes these days) Here she is when she kept cute girly headbands on.

Now the years have gone by (OMG where did my little girl go??!!) she loves spending time with her Daddy because, well, Daddy rocks and he is just God to her. She wants to do anything Daddy is doing, working with tools, riding her barbie beep beep, cutting the grass, anything Daddy does, Maddie does. As the years have passed my little girl has well………turned into quite the Tom Boy. She hates dresses and skirts even though I put her in plenty of them as a baby/toddler. She always says, “hey that lady doesn’t have pants on!” I have to explain it’s because she is wearing a dress LOL! She loves her hats and she has a short cute little bob of a haircut. Every now and again I can get her into a dress if I tell her everyone is dressing up and don’t you want to look like Mommy. AKA, my cousin’s baby shower, Christmas Eve, and school pictures that’s about it. Here she is during our annual photo shoot my sister and I do every summer at the Vineyard where we got married. Zorvino’s.

The next summer, 2012 annual photo shoot.

I love the little spit fire personality she has, the last thing I want to do is influence her to be someone she is not. I’m a firm believer of loving someone for who they are, who would want to change someone. Here comes the BUT. I was at Target yesterday shopping for a few things and as I was going through the little girl department I couldn’t help but oh and ah over the two two’s, the frilly dresses and the dress up shoes and head pieces. I held them in my hands and contemplated buying a few things……then I decided on a Red Hello Kitty T-Shirt with hearts on it and a new hat with a heart on it for Valentine’s Day. I love buying her a little something for each holiday they hold at her school.

These days it’s very unusual to see her without a hat on, it’s growing on me, as long as I get to buy them and make them as girl as possible 😉

This is what she chooses to wear half the time, anything that resembles her father in any way.

So after browsing the isles that day, I thought about it and realized I was just as happy buying her the T-Shirt and Hat for one reason and one reason only (well besides never wanting to change who my daughter wants to be) The expression on her face when I gave it to her that evening. If I gave her that frilly dress would I have gotten that big smile that night? Would she be wearing it the next day like she is wearing the hat because even though it’s a bit too big she loves it. Isn’t it always about making our children happy? Yes it’s another sacrifice of parenthood I truly believe, I’m letting go of who I’d like her to be and learning to love this little girl for who she already is. I’m not sure if sacrifice is the word but It’s like life, it’s like accepting our friends and family for who they are. Heck I tell my husband all the time I don’t LOVE everything about him, if that was the case wouldn’t life be grand 😉 It doesn’t mean I don’t love him, it means I love him for him. When I think about the future and what my daughter may choose to do with her life, I just want to support her at the end of each day, if she chooses to take a wife instead of a husband, I want to be standing there, if she chooses to be a doctor, a teacher or a SAHM, I want to be there for her, so the past few years has taught me to just let my kiddo be herself in each and every way possible. I’m not sure how I got this two two on her for her school pictures this year, it was sheer luck and I loved every second of it!!

I guess there is no reason for this post, I just wanted to know if their were any other parents out their that wanted a girly girl and ended up with a Tom Boy? Or vice versa? Maybe you are more of a Tom Boy and you got a girly girl? I guess I just wanted to know if I was alone in this. I love my little girl with every inch of my heart, every fiber of being and every breath I breathe so to me that’s all that matters. I thought it was only appropriate to share some of her girlier photo’s with you today and then some of her more resent pictures since she’s aloud to pick and choose her outfits these days! Isn’t she cute every which way she dresses??!

This is what she chose to wear on Mother’s Day last year, I have to admit, this one was tough on me, we went to a nice place for brunch and her T-Shirt says “I’m The BOSS!” Oh boy…..Hey at least it’s with a skirt right!! If you notice (above picture) she wears this T-Shirt a lot, when summer ended I had no problems packing it away!

At the end of a day, this little munchkin can choose whatever she wants to wear because I love seeing her be her.