The Shirt

And so the battle begins.

Brooklyn got a new shirt as a gift from one of our friends a few weeks ago. And it's been sitting in her drawer ever since. I've pulled it out a couple of times for her to wear and she refuses. I don't generally care what my kids wear and I let them pick out their own clothes most of the time. But I do feel that as a mother I have a duty to step in every now and then. For instance, when Abby wants to wear the same outfit for the 3rd time in one week - and I haven't had a chance to wash it yet.

Or when Brooklyn decides she doesn't need to wear the brand new shirt that just weeks ago she liked.

Anyway, just the other day I decided I was ready for battle. I knew that Brooklyn didn't want to wear her new shirt and I knew she was going to just have to. We are not wasteful people! I got it out and told Brooklyn to close her eyes and I would put her shirt on and it would be a surprise when she opened them (wink, wink).

Brooklyn was all up for it until she realized that her shirt wasn't going over her head. And she knows she only has one shirt with buttons.

The "I don't want to wear this shirt fit began" but I was ready for it.

Fine, I told her. You don't have to wear it. But you will have to wear it tomorrow. She agreed to that readily enough (you know, instant gratification), but began telling me all about why she doesn't like this shirt. It looks like Dad's shirts (Darren's polo shirts). It has green in it and Brooklyn hates the color green (which is true - she won't even eat out of the green cereal bowl). It has a collar and only boys shirts have colors. On and on.

I stopped listening and just reminded her that tomorrow she was going to wear it. Fine.

Well, I had been prepping her all night about wearing that shirt the next day (which is cute by the way) and she really was fine with. That morning she was still fine with it. I was shocked. Smiling to myself about how ingenius I was we headed to Brooklyns room to get dressed.

Did I mention that Abby was already getting dressed? In a pink, glittery, butterfly shirt. Brooklyn took one look at Abby's overall shiny pink outfit and resolved to tears. "Abby's going to look more beautifuller than me!" Over and over.

I didn't care. Maybe Brooklyn gets her stubborn streak from me? Hard to say.

Finally she threw herself on the bed and angrily said "Fine! But you'd better pick out an ugly skirt for me to wear with my ugly shirt. At least I'll match!"

And so I did. And she looked cute.