Betsy's Date

Newsletter 2024-09-19

My wife got a message on Facebook Sunday night. Another mom wanted to know if it was too late for her son to swing by. He had a quick question for our oldest daughter.

RED ALERT.

I knew this day was coming, yet it still caught me off guard. There were warning signs that it was close. Earlier in the day, Lola had a milestone disagreement with our fourteen-year-old. Betsy had borrowed a dress from a friend for the homecoming dance next weekend. Lola took one look at it and deemed it inappropriate. I’m glad she handled that battle. As a dad, I have no context for where that line should be. If it were up to me, kids would go to dances in sweatpants and hoodies. You’re never too cool for comfort. Betsy and Lola spent the entire afternoon shopping for a new dress. That’s my idea of cruel and unusual punishment, but for them, it was a delightful bonding experience. They found the perfect dress and, better yet, the perfect deal. Something isn’t truly valuable unless it comes with a lengthy story about how much money you saved on it. In my mind, the dance issue was settled. Betsy now had everything she needed for a fun night in the school gym with her friends. Then we got the message from that other mom and our world was turned upside down.