A Girl and Her Maillot

Today, Daphne and I (and her two female cousins) went to the mall to try to accomplish a dreaded springtime task: Purchasing bathing suits.

Daphne found two suits she liked at Macy's. She tried them on, but they didn't work, so we headed into the mall to look elsewhere.

Daphne is a lot like I was at that age (and am a little bit now): She doesn't like to shop, she isn't happy to be there, and she doesn't try very hard to make the experience enjoyable for anyone else. Now, I will say I was 100% like that as a kid (just ask my mom!). I don't love shopping to this day, but I am pleasant, for the most part. Anyway, she was ticked off that we were looking around in the mall when we had not exhausted the Macy's suits. I had been under the impression that she'd tried on the two that she liked and that was it.

While we were in another store, I found a bathing suit that would work for me. I actually took two suits into the dressing room, but only tried the first one on. Another thing you can ask my mom about, because this is another thing about me that goes way back, is that if I try on an article of clothing and it fits and works, I'm not interested in looking further to see if there is anything that I like better. Because you know what I like better? Being finished shopping.

The first suit I tried on had a racer-back, and it looked reasonably good... so when I glanced at the other suit I'd chosen and really thought about the fact that it was a halter, I decided not even to bother. Halters are an annoyance to me because I tend to tie them into the hair on the nape of my neck. Then I either get it too tight so that it strains my neck or too loose so that the girls don't look very happy.

After my purchase, I told Daphne we'd stop back by Macy's on the way out and she could look again, then if she didn't find anything, we'd hit Kohl's before we dropped her cousins off at their house.

Back at Macy's, Daphne did find one suit that she liked and of which I could approve. It was a one-piece, it was modest, and she thought it was fun. She went to try it on, and came out of the dressing room grinning. Her cousin said that it looked really good on her, and she loved it, so I told Daphne we'd get it.

Then it occurred to me: I hadn't even looked at the price of this particular swimsuit. I turned the tag over... and the suit cost almost 3 times what I'd paid for mine! I saw Daphne's face when I said the price aloud, and immediately I said, "No, that's okay. We'll get it."

Here's why: (If you're a mom with a pre-teen or teenaged daughter, you will understand this) The fact that my self-conscious girl came out of the dressing room with a bathing suit feeling good about how she looked in it was worth it. It was worth it not to have to try on more and more suits. If you're a woman and you've ever unsuccessfully tried on clothes for an extended period of time, you know that every new failure makes you doubt yourself that much more... Which is stupid, but it's a real thing.

So we bought her the first thing I've ever bought from Macy's, and the most expensive bathing suit that's likely ever to be under our roof. But if she can swim all summer (and maybe next) without feeling doubtful about how she looks, without yanking up or down on ill-fitting, poorly-supported swimwear... Totally worth it. Some things just are.