Ashlie Ready for School

Over the years I've learned many things from my children. The fact that Mr. Clean Eraser does not remove permanent marker from doors, drinking glasses can indeed be broken into millions of pieces and snotty kisses linger longer than clean kisses!! However, one of the greatest lessons I've learned is that they each have their own individuality, and who am I to tell them otherwise. Our darling Ashlie is the one who first helped this hit home with me. If you've ever spent much time with Ashlie at all you will know that she most definitely has her own sense of style!!! I often reflect on the time when she was about 2 and we went to the hospital to visit my mom who had had surgery. Her outer attire was very appropriate for the rainy January day that it was. Long winter coat buttoned all the way with rain boots, it was when she took off the jacket once inside and was wearing her swimming suit with nothing else that her fashion statement truly took hold!! I'm sure her idea on it was, swimming suits are for getting wet in, why not wear them in the rain!! She was quite the talk of the hospital that day, and for that matter has been the talk of many other conversations since. Just the other day she came into my room ready for school and this is what she had picked out. Who was I to tell her that none of the colors matched!! She did however inform me that her teachers favorite colors are orange and green, since he had been gone the day before she wanted to make him happy and wear his favorite colors. How could I argue with that. So off she went!! In the past before I came to fully understand this lesson being taught, I would have argued and pushed for her to change clothes. She would have gotten upset, crying & screaming, we both would have lost our tempers and neither of us would have been happy. I'm thankful that I've learned that this is just not that important to fight over. I pick and choose my battles and this is not one I will pick!!!