getting ready for the day

We’re getting ready for school right now, everyone’s dressed, I’m at the computer checking my e-mail, eating some bread, drinking coffee. My two girls come up to me and proudly stick their chests out saying, “Look at us!” They are both wearing cardigan sweaters, but they’ve only fastened them halfway, from the bottom up. I distractedly lean over and do my meddlesome, motherly duty, that is to begin to fasten their sweaters the rest of the way, but they back away in horror. “NO! Mom! They’re supposed to be like this.” And they’re trying so hard to look cool, so I figure this is some fashion concept they’ve defined for themselves? Somehow they decided half-opened from the neck down cardigans look cool. OK, that’s cool then. So I say to them, not at all mockingly, “You two are soooooo cool.” And they strut off to the other room, very pleased with themselves indeed.