I'm thinking of seeking help

You'd think at age 30-(ahem), I would know myself pretty well. But, in my thirties, I've had lots of "new" revelations. For example, I can wear my hair curly (without a perm); I am a bit of a control freak; and my most recent revelation: I apparently was not done playing with Barbies when I was a child.

You see, I've discovered, much to my dismay, that I sometimes treat my only daughter as a bit of a Barbie doll. She may not have long blond hair or unrealistic body proportions, but I tend to dress her up all the same. I don't necessarily sign her up for activities just so I can buy the outfits that go along with it, but if I'm being honest, I have to confess that dressing her appropriately for each new activity really is my favorite part. I even find myself walking past the leotard section at Target every once in a while just in case they have any new offerings that Pressley might like.

It is a sickness.

So, when we decided to sign her up for soccer, I knew she would need cleats. So we went to Target yesterday to buy cleats. And a lunchbox for school. But that is beside the point.

She tried on the cleats with the pink accents, and right next to them were the matching socks. Now, I know that her uniform will come with some navy socks with some gray stripes, but BORing!! So, we bought the socks with the pink stripes. Then I realized that the child does not own any athletic clothing whatsoever. Not even a pair of shorts. So, here's how the rest of the thought process went:

"If I don't buy her a practice outfit, I'll have to let her practice in her uniform. If she sweats in her uniform at practice, I'll have to wash it. And we know from Evan's experience that the soccer uniform doesn't hold up so great in the wash. If I have to wash it twice a week, it will be ruined in no time. And then we'll have to pay $30 to replace it. So, it really would be cheaper to buy a new outfit for her to practice in."

See how neatly that works? If you need to rationalize something, you just give me a call and we'll work through it together....

So, I ended up buying her an athletic skort that is pink and black and white, which matches the new cleats and socks.

Luckily, Pressley is a willing and eager participant in this hobby of mine. She may even enjoy it more than I do.

So, yesterday you met Cheer Barbie:


May I now introduce Soccer Barbie: (She wore this whole ensemble - including socks - to get her hair cut and run errands today. I did make her take off her cleats and put on her sparkle cheer tennis shoes, but she still got quite a lot of attention. The person working the drive-thru at McDonald's yelled out the window as we walked past in the parking lot..."I like your socks!" And then called other employees over to look out the window as well.)

Here's Spectator Barbie at one of Evan's swim meets: (This is a bit of a stretch. I didn't actually dress her like that. She picked out the dress and necklace and then took my sunhat from me because it was miserably hot and sunny out.)

Beach Barbie:

Gymnastics Barbie: (That is a lollipop stick in her mouth. This pic was obviously taken after a haircut or a trip to the bank.)

And Mermaid Barbie: (But, in my defense... this was Halloween, so there was a legitimate excuse.)

So, you tell me... Do I need counseling, or do all mothers of girls do this to their daughters to a certain degree so long as the daughters are willing to indulge it?