My daughter will be 15 soon. I'm not sure when that happened. She was seriously just dressing up as Ariel and playing on her princess bed with her Bitty Baby named Baby Sue. And now she will be 15 in less than 2 months. She's my oldest and while I've tried to teach her many things as she's grown up, there are many things I've learned from her. Now, while this could be a sentimental post about how she's helped me grow as a mom, shown me how strong I can be, taught me how to love unconditionally, etc. I'm going to go a different direction. Because yes, she has taught me all those things and made me a better person but there are things I didn't know I would learn from my teen daughter. Things that I can't believe I've lived almost 39 years without knowing. Things that I'm pretty sure if you don't have a teenage daughter, you may not know. Or maybe you do and I'm just that out of touch and need to go more places than Meijer and IGA. But just incase you were in the dark like me, let me teach you a few things I've learned.
1. Primer. And not the kind for your walls. Ladies - they make primer for your face. What? How am I almost 39 and am just learning of this amazing face spackle. Seriously, you know how you prime your walls before painting...prime your face ladies. Your makeup will last so much longer and everything is just smoother. Um do they make a body primer? They do also make eye primer but I'm not that cool. Yet.
2. Good, quality hair appliances. Yes, you need the Chi. Stop spending $20 every few years on cheaper straighteners and blow dryers. Buy the Chi. There's a warranty. It's worth it. And don't expect your daughter to share hers. Buy your own.
3. Speaking of hair, you need multiple hair appliances. No, that one curling iron is not enough. You need many sizes and they all do different things. It doesn't matter that your bathroom cabinet now looks like a Regis Salon. Buy the curling iron, the curling wand, the straightener. Get it all.
4. Makeup brushes, sponges, blending buds, oh my! You need them all. I don't know what half of them are for but you need them. Guess what ladies - different eye brushes do different things. Whaaattt?? She just got a new one in her Ipsy bag and I was like "What the heck do you do with that thing" and she was all "um, it's a smudger". Apparently your finger or a q-tip is NOT equal. And don't mention this as a substitution.
5. Netflix. I feel like I don't really need to explain this one but if you aren't caught up on ALL SEASONS of Friends, Grey's Anatomy, The Fosters and One Tree Hill....well I can't even talk to you. And don't you dare post any spoiler alerts...even if its a series from 1998. What???? Monica and Chandler get married? Yes, I spoiled that one for her.
6. Leggings. In the land of high school girls, they are pants. Butts must be covered in our house. Once I was convinced to try these on, I was sold. Granted, I wear really long shirts with mine but they are AH-MAZING. Again, how have I lived my life this long without leggings? (In my day we called them stirrups!) It's like your not even wearing pants but your legs are still warm. I can do high kicks in mine. Sorry for that mental image.
7. Uggs. No, Bear Paws or other knock offs are not the same. (I still wear the cheap ones) But after finally letting her get the real thing this year, they are worth the money. Hopefully she's not reading this because I'm so gonna get the "I told you so" on this one.
8. Chin hairs. Didn't know I had them. Now she rips them out. Even if I'm driving and she spots one. I guess I'm thankful..... We all need a daughter for this...or a really good friend.
9. Fashion rules. Somedays she's harder than Joan Rivers on Fashion Police. Other days I just get "the look". You know the one...big eyes, raised eyebrows, tilt of the head and "are you really gonna wear that out in public" look. Needless to say, most purchases are approved by her and typically she is right.
10. Hip Lingo. Words and phrases like "On point" "On Fleek" "Squad"....I can't keep track of them all. And as soon as I do figure one out and try to be cool and use it, it's already expired and a new phrase is being used. I can't keep up. So I'll just stick with my favorite when she gets mad at me..."Bye Felicia"
11. Texting abbreviations. IKR, KWIM, BRB. I'll just stick with LOL even though I'm not LOLing when I have to google an abbreviation to figure out what she's saying.
12. FaceTime. Why call your friend when you can FaceTime them? It's like Jetson's up in here. I can't even go in her room and yell at her in my bra because most likely someone is on the screen and will see me. What is this world coming to?
13. Selfies. I love a good selfie. However, I can't take one. Yes, according to teenage girls, there is a wrong and a right way to take a selfie. And let me tell you, if you have a teenager around you, let them teach you. I'm a work in progress but you better believe if I'm taking a selfie and she walks in and I'm not doing it right, I will get retaught. Several times. It's all about angles, lighting, filters, photography apps, I'm not gonna lie, it's a lot of work. But let me tell you, the selfies she takes of us together are my favorites. Girls got mad selfie skillz. (that's not cool lingo but I don't care.)
14. Eyebrows. Apparently mine are wrong. I'm not sure why or how to fix them but they are wrong. Girls now fill them in? What? No more waxing just shaping? Apparently, I need to grow mine in and then darken them. So many rules.
15. YouTube. This one I have not fully embraced. Did you know you can watch videos of what girls buy when they go shopping. It's called a haul. So they go shopping and then show you everything they bought, how to put outfits together, where to shop, brands, etc. Yes, these girls are now famous YouTubers for shopping. Sign. Me. Up. Is there one for grocery shopping? Can I go to Aldi and then show you what I bought? Can we make this happen?
Am I the only one this out of touch? Do you have a teenager who is appalled at your lack of knowledge? I can't believe I could be alone in this? Hopefully at least a few of you have learned something with me. Like I said, my daughter has taught me so much. She made me a mom, she taught me to love unconditionally, she will be my lifelong friend, and I know I will continue to learn from her, whether it be silly things like this or lasting lessons...and through it all, my eyebrows will hopefully be on fleek.
