Fitting

I love my teenager.

Tonight, we had a mom-Dani date. First stop was Victoria's Secret, where she was fitted and whisked into a dressing room with a box of 2 dozen bras to try on. An hour later, after plunking down serious dough on good-fitting undergarments, she was one happy camper. (And you know... traditionally, and as recently as last Tuesday, bra shopping has been a detested chore that resulted in tears and frustration, so this was a very welcome experience.) And before you get all testy on me, and start thinking I'm a horrible mother for blogging to the world about my daughter and her bra shopping experiences, let me just clear the air and tell you upfront that she's okay with it, and in fact, plans to blog about it herself. There. Calm down. :)

I remember well being her age and hard-to-fit. I remember the stinging tears that I couldn't fight back as I tried on bra after bra after bra. None of them minimized enough, and back then, most of them resulted in a pointy silhouette, which was horrid. Back then, I wouldn't let my Mom into the dressing room with me, because she had instilled in me a modest streak as rigid as brick. After one shopping trip that ended in crying fits and hurt feelings, my Mom's friend Carla pitied me and took me shopping herself. She, a card-carrying member of the Well Endowment Club, understood me, whereas my Mother, President Emeritus of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee, did not. Carla introduced me to Bali, with whom I developed a decade-long friendship.

But Bali and Dani never got along.

Dani's never gotten along with ANY bra brand, until Victoria's Secret. Her reaction to the fit and comfort of her new Body By Vic bra was reminiscent of my reaction to Bali all those years ago - elation. She was hilarious. It made me happy.

I love that she's modest yet not ashamed, self-conscious yet not abashed, discreet yet not wary. She's not afraid to walk proudly with her shoulders back, not horrified by the thought of me seeing her half naked in a bra fitting room. She's not a freak like I was. I like to think it's 'cause she doesn't have a freak for a Mom like I did. :)