Perfect Schmerfect

– by, Callie Feyen
My oldest daughter once went to preschool without underpants. What kind of mother misses that important article of clothing?  In my defense, Hadley’s outfit was laid out the night before, neatly folded next to her bed, undies included.  But the morning of school got a little crazy (somebody please tell me you have crazy mornings, too).  It started while I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes and told Hadley to get dressed.  You know, to promote independence.  “Hey, Mom! I can get my clothes on all by myself!”  Except, Hadley decided it’d be more fun to wrap herself up in her blanket, “like a caterpillar.”

That’s what she told me when she was crawling down the hallway, her knees knocking against the floor as she pushed herself towards the bathroom all swaddled up like, well, like a caterpillar.

And who wants to get dressed when you could be a caterpillar?  At least, that’s what Harper, my younger daughter thought.  Who indeed?

This incident might’ve contributed to us being late to school.  It definitely contributed to the fact that Hadley didn’t arrive fully clothed. (She did have pants on folks. They don’t call me “Detailed Oriented Callie” for nothin’.)

I keep telling you guys secrets on this blog.  Here’s another: I really, really, really, like the idea of being perfect.  Doesn’t that sound nice?  Peaceful mornings, an organized and clean home, the ability to wear skinny jeans without worrying that my hips look wider than my car: it all sounds fantastic.  The problem is, I’ll never be as organized as I want to be.  If you’ve met me, you probably don’t think “peaceful” when you see me, and I really like the cannolis at Royal Crown Bakery in Germantown, thus, contributing to my wide hip dilemma.

Here’s another secret: I don’t think I’m the only one who messes up from time to time.  Tara Scholz, whose daughter Camden is in Kindergarten, dressed her in “the cutest jumper and shirt with frilly socks and adorable shoes” on the day Camden had PE.

“She couldn’t have looked cuter,” Tara said.  And really, don’t we want to both look good AND be good athletes?  So I think Tara did her a favor.  Camden, on the other hand, wasn’t too thrilled.  “Remember I have to run and jump during PE,” she told her mom.  “So next time, no pretty clothes!”

Hey, Cam, at least you had underpants on.

I’ll end this post with one more secret: Hadley crawling down the hallway like a caterpillar is one of my favorite memories of a school morning.  I laughed when she did it – a big, hearty belly laugh – the kind that reminds me I can’t believe I get to be her momma.  And each time I think about that morning I smile again.

I’ll take that over being perfect any day.