A Glimpse Into Motherhood

I have been involved in the Big Brother Big Sister Mentoring Program since September. I was matched with an 11-year-old girl, Faith, who described herself as "athletic but still girly." Sometimes descriptions are deceiving. I am pretty sure the description should have said, "I'm boy crazy and extremely girly. Sports aren't really my thing." Anyways, that's beside the point I am trying to make.

I meet with Faith once a week and it seems that as of late, everytime I go to pick her up and have something planned to do, Mother Nature decides to send a blizzard. So, this past week I was going to pick her up and take her back to my house to make a gingerbread house that I had since last Christmas(2007). I was hoping it was still good, but of course right when I was leaving work, the snow started coming. I figured it wasn't the best idea to risk both our lives driving all the way out to Parma and back so as I was talking to Faith's mom she suggested I take Faith to Target to use her gift card to get an outfit for church. So, we enter the girls' clothing department. She has $18 on her gift card and has been instructed to only buy a skirt or dress, nothing else. There is not much to choose from that fits those requirements, but in my attempt to help I suggest a few items. Faith responds with, "Um...no...i don't think I like that." I suggest another, Faith says, " I would never wear that." I try another and she responds, "I like that, but thats not what kids at school wear." As I continued to suggest things, I realized I was like my mom and grandma. I was now on the OTHER end of the shopping deal. I was trying to be cost-effective, getting something that fit her budget. Well...it wasn't what she was looking for.

She ended up calling her mom to get the okay to purchase something other than a long skirt or dress. After the okay from her mom, the search started all again. She ended up with hot pink sweat pants and a hot pink shirt with a design that I already forgot. I suggested that she can also wear them separately. She didn't think so. She wants to wear them ONLY together because hot pink and hot pink can only go together;).

Oh well...guess I have a lot to learn before I have an 11-year-old of my own.