Miss Meera

The daffodils are blooming here, and tonight we ate dinner outside on the deck for the first time this year. The seasons are shifting. You can feel it in the air, and all around. Times are changing. I see it mostly in Meera. Our Little Miss Diva. She is evolving right before our eyes, becoming a Big Girl, no longer a toddler. This metamorphosis is clear in the way she talks, in the way she holds her body, her steadily increasing independence, and in her slow-move-toward-no-napping. But It is most obvious — interestingly enough, as it has always been with Meera — in her tastes and preferences for the way she presents herself. Specifically, in how she dresses. Her clothes, shoes, and accessories have always been incredibly important to Meera. Since she was a baby she’s been expressing herself this way. And while I don’t want her to place too much value in these things (especially as they relate to her own self-worth), I appreciate her willful insistence on adorning herself the way she wants to be adorned.

Meera is now, and has forever been, a Fashionista with a capital “F.” She comes from a long line of women who have exquisite taste in clothes (my Nana in heaven is surely beaming at the sight of her great-granddaughter’s attire, and my own mother is quite the fashionista herself). As for me– I will be the first to admit that I am thoroughly enjoying ‘Dressing Meera.’ This is one of the most fun indulgences of having a little girl. I like helping Meera to look the way she wants to look. And I especially love seeing her self-confidence and self-love as she walks through the world feeling like the smart, beautiful, strong-willed girl that she is.

Meera’s fashion sense is evolving, but is fundamentally the same as it has always been. It is still about ‘Fancy,’ but it is becoming a more sophisticated look as opposed to a girlie-girlie cutsie look. Her favorite color is still pink, but she rarely insists on it anymore, and is very open to a broad spectrum of color. Meera still prefers dresses and skirts to pants, but she will wear pants. She still, however, refuses to wear jeans. She will almost never agree to wear sneakers. She will often be sure to wear a necklace, bracelet, or ring to school. And she has specific ideas about how she wants her hair done each day. Interestingly enough, Meera is the only kid in her class who dresses so ‘formally’ for school. While the other girls and boys wear sweatpants and velcro sneakers, Meera wears a full scale “outfit” (as she calls it) to daycare each and every day.

Over the past month I’ve tried to take a picture of Meera each morning before she goes to school. I forgot some days, but I captured most. I hope someday, when Meera is feeling those feelings of self-doubt and insecurity creep in (those feelings that all of us girls, unfortunately, eventually have to battle), that she’ll maybe catch a glimpse of this post and be reminded of the smart, beautiful, strong-willed girl that she is and always has been.