My daughter currently has a hate-hate relationship with clothes. She wants to look hip and in-style, but refuses to look “different” or odd. She also hates to shop. This may be a symptom of being 12, or it may be that she will always hate shopping. Either way, no matter what I do I. Am. Wrong.

I buy her the wrong jeans, I make the wrong suggestions, I fix her hair wrong, like I said before, I am just wrong.

I now its a middle-school struggle to figure out how to stand out so you are noticed and yet not stand out too much so you become marginalized. Her struggle is made tougher by the fact that her mother’s impulse is to flaunt it, be original. Probably a symptom of shopping in thrift stores and antique shops and being “shabby chic” before it was chic.

I am sure back to school shopping will provide endless blog fodder this year.

Oy.