Every morning as we get ready to get my Kindergartener ready for the bus (I know.. how do I have a kindergartener!), I tell myself, we are going to do some of the “prep” stuff at night. I can make lunch the night before, right? Well.. three months into school, and that has yet to happen lol. Every morning is a mad dash to get everyone dressed, fed, and out the door before 8:00. Some days it is a photo finish. While I am frantically trying to piece together a healthy lunch that little man won’t come home complaining about, I ask little lady to go upstairs and get dressed. I used put an outfit on her bed, but 9 times out of 10, she comes down wearing what ever the hell she wants to wear. I have started to document the outfits and posting them to my instagram account under “bus stop apparel”. This morning she came down with this gem:

I was walking past her room as she was putting her sparkly purple skirt over her bright red mini mouse pants, and I suggest: “Hey hun, do you want to wear these leggings? (that actually match)” To which she replied: “Nope, I’m good. I like my pants.” I have leaned to pick my battles so I say.. OK.. and go downstairs to wrangle little man and get get him to put his shoes on. She came down shortly after with her pink princess shoes, and yellow (stained) shirt. So, just like other crazy outfit days, I took a picture to document.

I have had friends/family members say to me “man she is going to look back on these and say, why did you let me leave the house like that?”, or “ooh these are good black mail pictures.” But thats not why I document it. I don’t take these photos and post them as future black mail, or to show her when she is older to let her see what a weirdo she was lol. I do it because I just want to bottle some of her confidence. I wish there was a way to have her hold onto it forever. Does she look ridiculous when she leaves the house somedays? Sure. Does she think she looks good? Damn straight, its always on her craziest outfit days that she is the most outgoing and telling people “look at my pretty skirt!! Don’t you like my helmet!!? My shoes light up!! Look they make me SUPER FAST!!!” I just want bottle this confidence and give it to her when her face is breaking out and her hormones are going crazy, when she feels like she doesn’t quite fit in anywhere. I want to give it to her when she has her first encounter with a “mean girl.” I want to bottle it up, and give it to her when the first stupid boy breaks her heart. I want her to always feel strong about her decisions and realize that she doesn’t have to make anyone else happy but herself.

While her outfits are sometimes something to giggle about, when I look at these pictures I see a happy, confident little girl that is ready to take on the world. I see a little girl being herself, and not caring what people think of her. I see a little girl SO sure in her decisions that she is eager to show them to the world. Now if only I could bottle it.

~Richelle