The Curse of the Barbie Moms

It happens every year-- there's a mom who shows up to drop of her kids perfectly poised, dressed, made up, fully accessorized, and stunningly beautiful.

All at 8:30 am.

What's with these women??? ;o)

Since my days of taking a child to school, there's always been at least one mom who shamed the rest of us-- even when we were going to work too! In preschool it was the mom whose outfits nicely displayed her collection of jeweled back thongs...cough....I often wondered what profession allowed those....? (not going there!!!) In kindergarten, there was the mom, every morning, who looked like she was going next to a modeling shoot. In the first & second there have always been the handful of beautifully-dressed moms along with moms who were perfectly coordinated in name-brand "workout" outfits (ha, ha! Off to gym now that the darlings are in school!). While the rest of us showed up in our sweats, pajama bottoms, lounge pants, bathrobes (never have personally done this one), and other "comfortable" attire.

It took me awhile before I got over the pangs of jealousy that would hit every time I pulled next to or stood next to a Barbie mom. Now, after four years of dropping off kids at 8:30 am, I'm content to be dressed! As long as it's clean.

So this morning I actually put on pants-- because my favorite "Mom" pants have a hole in the backside and are no longer fit to be worn in public-- and a sweatshirt over my shirt and under my coat-- partially because it is cold and partially to hide the fact that I was choosing to leave off that most uncomfortable and necessary female underwire accommodation. I also smoothed down my hair, licked my lips, wiped the crusties from my eyes and I was off!!

As I waited for the kids to go into class, I noticed the lady sitting in the car next to me using her eyelash curler. And I will admit that instead of a pang of jealousy, I snickered under my breath (so rude of me!!) and watched her discreetly from the corner of my eye as she freshened her makeup and reapplied her lipstick. She then exited her $40,000 vehicle wearing a nice designer outfit.

Poor thing, I thought, she's just not comfortable coming in pjs. So sad! Maybe by third grade!

But, just in case, I wiped the corners of my lips again....