I had a Minute to Win It themed birthday party in middle school and instead of playing the games my mom and I had so diligently DIY-ed, my friends wanted to sit in a circle and recite to each other where every item of clothing we had on was from. I said my Kohl’s black and grey flannel was from Brandy Melville like theirs (I colored myself an outsider and a liar to girls who knew that one-size-fits-all catalogue by heart) and I betrayed my mother (I pretended my Marshall’s leggings were Lululemon — she won’t shop from a brand with a name created intentionally and unabashedly to make fun of Asian people).
I had a special way I sat during independent reading time (with my hands specifically placed on my two birthmarks so that none of my third grade classmates would see that I was imperfect).
I had to learn morality at a young age (I assigned good and bad to things like how many times I flipped a light switch or if I walked with my back towards a window at night).
I had this little trick where I would pour water on my bed and then tell my parents I had peed myself so they’d let me sleep in their room with them (I was so scared of dreaming because I thought my fears were more true in the dark and I was right).
I had my grandparents pick me up a block away from school.
I had this realization the other day — how do you raise a child that isn’t afraid of everything?
The days are getting longer! I’m welcoming Spring (mood pivot… I don’t know how to feel these days — I am grasping on to little things).
Question to ask your mom: What is your favorite flower?
jk;)