How My Daughters Saved Me From Frump

I used to perm my hair and think jeans and t-shirts were stylish. And then I had daughters. Beautiful, enlightened and savy daughters. They were my fashion police. They introduced me to GAP essential jeans. To pointed toe shoes. To lip gloss and a roller hair brush. To SPANX. I often wonder how they both came out so stylish and feminine. M and R have very different styles and yet are both minimalists but very put together. They understand their body types and what suits them best. They have great posture and carry themselves with confidence. They have amazingly beautiful teeth. As one friend described them: "They look exotic and expensive." They are fun to shop with because they weed out pretty quickly those things that would be a sensible purchase for me but highly unflattering. They helped me discover too what looked best during all those fitting rooms adventures freely expressing their critical or flattering comments depending on the selection. I went bathing suit shopping with R once. It could have been such a disaster and very demoralising and yet she found this wonderful suit for me that I would have never considered. M helped me pick out some fabulous jewellery that I wear several times a week with various outfits.
They are both gone now living far away as they make their way into their chosen careers and lives. I miss the M and R litmus test. Their input did not only improve the exterior but through their gentle nudges here and their blunt jabs there, they helped transform me from that hippie girl from rural Canada. As a mother we like to think about the legacy we leave our children but in my case, I like to consider how my daughters helped create the woman I am now. I nurtured these daughters but they nurtured me too.