Mommy Finger, Baby Finger

My daughter turned into a reindeer this week. I watched my mother focused in front of her sewing machine as she used the fleece fabric my daughter selected at Wal-Mart and the faux fur trim we picked up at JOANN to make her Halloween costume from start to finish — a skill that I’m learning to appreciate more and more. I almost freaked out as I dabbed makeup on my daughter’s face while watching a YouTube tutorial and saw how beautiful she is — thinking, one day she will be a teenager. One day she’ll actually be wearing makeup. But, this Halloween, I was reminded to celebrate my daughter’s uniqueness.

When I asked Ali a few weeks ago what she wanted to be for Halloween and she said, “a reindeer,” I almost talked her out of it. I thought, “why can’t she ever pick something not out-of-the-ordinary?” Because, let me tell you, it can be challenging when you’re not super crafty. For instance: her 7th birthday. She decided she wanted a DJ Marshmello themed party. Who – you might ask? Yeah. I didn’t have a clue who that was either. Apparently, my friends did. Apparently, I, too, am out-of-the-ordinary. By the way, he is an American electronic music producer and DJ. But, in our house, we encourage individuality, freedom of expression and encourage exploration.

I have quotes and affirmations all around the house, mirrors, bathroom mirrors, book shelves … and my favorite is the one we see every morning through my bathroom mirror as we get ready every morning that reads: FREE TO BE YOU. And, when I drop off Ali at school each morning, I remind her not to let anyone dull her shine.

Her school had a Halloween party a couple of days ago and my little reindeer came to life. Ali smiled all night as she received compliments from her friends and their parents. She even begged me to let her wear her filled-in eyebrows to school the next day, and I did. When I picked her up she was still grinning. She said, “I can’t wait to be a reindeer for Halloween again! I look so cute!” 

As I watch Ali grow up I see a kid who is so confident she wasn’t meant to blend in — and that’s an awesome thing.