How do I break down the contradictions in Lily's idea of who she is versus what she does and how she shows herself to be? Yesterday she told us at dinner that she is having a competition with her best friend to see who can be the most tanned this Summer. Husband and I bit our tongues and merely nodded with interest. We wanted to say: "You do know that to get a tan you have to be up when the sun is up?" or "You do know that to get a tan you have to go outside?" But it was suddenly clear to me that in her head she was a completely different person - one who jumps around beaches with lithe brown limbs and lies back on picnic rugs with sand between her toes. I remembered my own Baywatch-based alter-ego. My dream had always been to lose weight and magically change my coarse curly hair for one of those glossy bouncing pony-tails. Those kinds of daydreams are precious at any time in our lives but especially for a teenager. So it was good that Husband and I didn't
Lily has long hair and for a number of reasons we only get it cut a couple of times a year. Today is one of those times. This will involve me knocking on her door in about 10 minutes and reminding her to get up so that we can go in an hour and 10 minutes time. She's been looking dreadful - no self care, same sleeping clothes for the last 4 days, unbrushed hair. I would expect her to take a long time to feel good enough about going out and to present herself in a salon and spend an hour looking at herself in the mirror in public. Well hopefully not an hour. I am dreading the whole thing and finding it difficult to put my mind to anything else until it is done. Husband has suggested I leave and tell her I will meet her there - along the lines of exam mornings. This is a good idea except the appointment is with my hairdresser, someone to whom I have a commitment and a long relationship which is important to me. I suppose it's similar to my concern for the art teacher a few w