Grace the fashionista

My not-so-little Grace entered a beautiful stage the day she turned 4, and is still in it. I adore this age, and everything about her is just lovely! She's polite, friendly, thoughtful and just a joy to be around! I'm still in denial that next year I'll be waving her good bye as she enters her schooling journey. How the heck did that happen?

She asked me the other day if we could have a little chat, then proceeded to tell me off for all the cutsie nicknames I had been using on her. She stated very clearly that she disliked being called Missy Moo, Miss Muffet or Missy and I was not to call her that ever again and she wouldn't answer to it anyway. I was a little taken aback, these are names that I've affecitonately called her for the last 4 years. I asked her what she would like to be called, and she replied "Grace, Gracie or Princess". Righty-o. I can't call you Miss Muffett, but Princess is completely acceptable? What am I raising?

The biggest battles that Grace and I have are over clothes. Should this be happening already? At 4? Surely it's in the teenage years that we are meant to argue over what she does and doesn't wear. She has a wardrobe full of beautiful clothes, but she will only wear a small and select range of it. She chooses style over comfort, which I find just bizarre. Who in their right mind skips over the comfy pair of trackies in favour of the denim skirt? She approves of tights, but only if matched perfectly with a longer top as well as the right shoes and accessories. I have no hope in buying clothes for her anymore, unless she comes along to approve the purchase. Her taste is not predictable, there are things that I think she would love but she can't stand and visa versa. I bought a pair of shoes for her, pretty ones with sparkles and flowers, but she wont wear them. She loves jewels, sticking these on things doesn't automatically make it pass the grade though.

She's not fussy with where her clothes come from though, her absolute favourite piece of clothing is a pair of rhinestone studded jeans that Nanny picked up in an opshop. She's worn them constantly over the last year, and just last week we discovered 2 little holes wearing there way through the knee. I gave her the option of patching them up or cutting them off as shorts, and she agreed to the shorts. However, when she asked Grandma to do it for her, she insisted that she not hem it evenly - she wants the frayed bits on the bottom. I have a pair that is frayed, so I'm guessing that's where she gets that fro,. Poor Grandma was horrified to think that's how Grace wanted them though!

We battle every morning about what she is going to wear that day. She always wants to be dressed in her best clothes, but sometimes it's just not appropriate to be so dressed up for Pre-school. We have come to a compromise, and she has to choose the night before what she is wearing and there are to be NO mind changes. She's also not allowed to wear her very best clothes to school. I really don't' need to be so strict on that, as she is the cleanest child and NEVER gets any scrap of dirt, paint of food on her clothes.

Her fashion consciousness is moving over to hairstyles now too. There is a child care student that helps out at her preschool and Grace has taken a shine to her. She's a pretty girl with long blonde hair and I'm guessing she is about 18. She often does her hair in a messy bun, pinning it all back with a gazillin bobby pins. I found Grace in the bathroom the other day, shoving random bits of her hair back with bobby pins. I helped her finish it off, and she was so excited and pleased to have her hair styled like Lana's.

I'm still quite baffled how my daughter becomes so obsessed and aware of how she looks. I certainly don't, so unless it's a rebellious thing against my complete lack of care - I've no idea where she gets it from. It is lovely though, and obviously something that she really enjoys and gets happiness from so I'm trying really hard to stifle her interest, it's just so damn frustrating sometimes!!!

I was talking to her the other night just before bed. We were chatting about school and she mentioned about going to the toilet there. For some reason she was telling me about the kids that needed help and those that didn't. I asked if she needed help, and she said no. She still asks me to wipe her bum after a poo, so I asked if she needed help for this at school. Secretly hoping that she'd mastered it at school and therefore I could get out of the duties at home. She looked at me horrified, and said that she doesn't poo at school and would never, ever do it there. She had no concrete reason why she never would, but she was adamant that it is something she'll only do in our toilet. Seems both of my kids have this funny little phobia, and they've both been like that even before they were toilet trained. Xav rarely poos anywhere else, and holds it in for a few days when we go away.

Grace is obsessed with craft, drawing and writing at the moment. At any time she wants to be practising her writing or building something out of the craft box. She'll easily pass 3 hours sitting at the table in a flurry of beads, cardboard, glitter and stickers. Of course her fashion obsession carries over to this, and she loves making clothes for all her dolls and teddies. Wendy found a roll of green and pink chux cloths, which are just perfect for her to use as material for the designs. She's also been learning how to sew with Grandma, and they are making miniature skirts for her dolls.

She's a beautiful little girl, who is just growing and blooming more and more everyday.