A Night at the Mall

"> It is almost my daughter's Birthday, she'll be 12. She is at that place where toys no longer interest her for the most part. She enjoys playing with her brother though. They will jump on our trampoline or play games together. On her own she likes to listen to her music and she reads and draws pictures. She plans out her outfits with the utmost care and coordination. She enjoys fashion and the art of putting it all together. I have watched her grow and mature especially over the past 2 months as she is finishing out the elementary school years. For her birthday she wanted just one friend to come and have hair and makeup and nails done. This would be her "party". We did something similar a couple years back and it was a big hit. The girls loved being transformed, dressed up. She realizes the value of money and knows to have a group of girls would be quite costly. For this lesson learned I am thankful. All on her own she chose to bring only 1. For her present she asked if she could buy some clothes and earrings at the mall. Now her and I love the thrift store. She has learned the value of a dollar and knows you don't end up with nearly as much shopping at the Mall. None the less she wanted to do it. I told her I could understand, the mall is up to the minute fashion, brand new.... She asked for $50, I thought that sounded totally reasonable. Once again she knows the value of a dollar and she only shopped the sales! Didn't buy anything that wasn't on sale. Good things come to those who wait. She brought that same friend along that will come to have hair and makeup done. I thought that may be hard for the friend to come along not having any money to spend herself. I bought the girls dinner, they chose Panda Express. I stood back and watched in awe of this girl that is blossoming before my eyes. She is beautiful outside and in, she has a sweet heart and is a joy to be around. We have our moments as Mother and daughter but our trip to the Mall was such a cool experience. She truly felt sorry for her friend not having any money to buy anything herself. She struggled with her budget she had set up for herself. Later commenting how the experience was a "Math Lesson". She really wanted to buy her friend something. In the end, her friend found something, also on sale, and I bought it for her. Later I told my daughter it was because of her heart toward her friend that I did that. She later told me how much more she could have gotten at the thrift store. She was happy with her purchases though and I was so happy to watch her grown. I made this doll for her, it reminds me of what she may look like in a couple of years. I am very proud of the young woman my daughter is becoming.