I Mourn the Loss of Frilly Dresses and Childhood

A Farewell to Girly Dresses

The ultrasound picture shows that your baby is a girl, the excitement builds. You can’t wait to start shopping in the baby girl’s section! Those cute puffy pink dresses that are SO adorable! It’s like reliving your own childhood dreams all over again. (At least until she is old enough to have an opinion. . .)

My daughter learned quickly to dress around 18 months of age. From that moment on, the floor was strewn with clothes from one end of the room to the other as she made multiple changes a day; loving every single wardrobe change.

She was all girl. Fancy clothes, beautiful dresses, play jewelry, sunglasses, and cute shoes. She loved it all.

Somewhere I have a picture of her, not quite two-years-old. Her Daddy had been gone for 5 months for work, and it was time to pick him up at the airport. She came out of her room dressed to the nines with lots of dress-up jewelry and sunglasses. She said she was going to look good for her Daddy and she wasn’t even 2 years old yet.

                                                              Mourn the Loss of Childhood

Time has flown by. She’s now 10 going on 16. (She been in the going on 16 phase for at least the last 6 years…) At Christmas, I had to buy her a specific dress for a performance she was in (see the featured picture at the top). It’s blue with sparkles and reminds me more than a little of Cinderella’s ball gown. As I bought the dress I suddenly realized this probably the last girly dress I would buy her.

She has grown up. She is leaving her childhood behind. Instead of insisting on wearing dresses all the time, I can only get her to wear them to church on Sundays. This week she asked why she couldn’t wear pants. Instead of pink and purple being the colors she wants everything in, everything must be blue, or maybe green. No more twirly dresses with a huge, beautiful smile as she spins round and round. She still loves fashion and cares about how she looks but in a different way than when she was two. It’s more about earrings, hair chalk, and shoes.

I’m forced to morn all the beautiful dresses I loved dressing her in. The dresses she got just as much joy out of. Instead, I’m trying to embrace the new fashion choices of t-shirts that read, “Smart, Cool, and Good Looking Like Daddy”, or Wonder Woman shirts with the words “Strength and Power”, or “Watch Me Dance”. I love the confidence portrayed in the new style, but I mourn the loss of my little girl dressing up 10 times a day. I will mourn those beautiful, sparkly, frilly, girly dresses…

                                                                          …At least until Prom!

16 thoughts on “I Mourn the Loss of Frilly Dresses and Childhood

  1. This makes me want to buy my girls more pretty dresses and accessories while they’ll still wear them! They are ages 4, 2, and 4 months, so I have a while, but I already see my oldest changing as she gets older.

  2. My daughter is only 6 so very much into glitter and sparkles and other girly girl stuff. I’ll be sad when she becomes a tween/teen. Thanks for linking up with #globalblogging

  3. Little girls do grow up and the sweet little dresses disappear. But you also have a beautiful confident young lady who will amaze you with the discovery of who she is becoming.

  4. Such sweet thoughts. I remember those days, even 30 years later! My daughter will be 32 this year, and it seems like yesterday when she was twirling in those frilly dresses. Those memories in your heart will never be taken, no matter how old your daughter gets. I am praying for you tonight, as you share the love of Jesus with your daughter!

  5. I have 3 daughters growing up to mourn, but never fear, they are equally dear as semi-adults! And their clothes cost so much more (which they mostly buy themselves!)

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