Sunday, September 6, 2009

not really mini-me

since the day she was born people have said the girl looks just like me. when the boy came along they said it was obvious the boy and girl were brother and sister, they look so much a like. sometimes people called the boy little heidi--obviously he didn't like that.

people don't say that so much now about the boy looking like me, but the family resemblance is still there. people do still comment, often, on how much the girl looks like me. this makes me proud every time i hear it, but i think the girl is over it. she rolls her eyes and doesn't really say anything.

when we look at pictures of me (or my dad's sister) and the girl as toddlers, young children, it is amazing how much we look alike. an outsider looking at them couldn't distinguish the three of us, and sometimes i can only because of the setting or background of the pic.

thursday i realized the girl looks NOTHING like what i looked like when i was in 7th grade. quite simply she is beautiful. it was picture day at school--yes, already, two weeks in and a picture day--so she didn't have to wear s.m.o.d. clothes (standard mode of dress=semi uniform) and she wore a dress. she asked me to apply her makeup. and curl her hair.

last year we gave her permission to wear SOME makeup. she did for a couple of days and then lost interest. she has fine, straight hair and longs for curls (heh, i didn't get my curls until after i had kids so she's got a while to wait) so i tried to use the curling iron. it has been decades since i used a curling iron. they really are one of the most dangerous household items--long, hot, metal heated tube? of course i burned myself a little.

anyway--when we were done i looked at her and almost cried. i see the beauty in her every day, the freckles, the chocolate brown eyes, the long eye lashes, the little scar above her eye from a long-gone cat--but thursday i saw the beauty that will be.

it may always be obvious that she is my daughter, but she is much more beautiful. and i say that with pride and awe not jealousy. she is thin and shapely and might end up taller than me. i'm glad for this.

5 comments:

IB said...

That's a great story. Sounds like you have reason to be proud. But seriously dude? A girl could do a lot worse than to look just like you.

IB

cheatymoon said...

Now I'm going to go check FB to see if you posted recent pics.

Love this post.

The other day the boy commented that he thought he looked just like me (I think he looks just like his dad). Funny and awe inspiring how they morph and change everyday, especially these teenager sorts.

Pandora said...

It's one of my biggest fears that I will have children one day,that look like me.Seriously.I hope and pray they will look like my boyfriend,or his family.Which they probably will,because his family all look very much alike,almost like a 'Children of the corn' type of thing.All blonde hair,blue eyes.

But,I do want my kids to get some of my personality.That I wouldn't mind at all :)

Trish said...

It's not so much that Ben looks like you, it's just that his facial expressions are exactly the same as yours. - I remember this from the very first time I ever saw him.

Gal Friday said...

You know...I am sure you WERE beautiful just like your daughter at that age, too. We just never see our own beauty, especially at that sensitive age.
My daughter also has that straight hair and wants curls,too. But, any time I have tried to curl them(and I hate standing there usuing the curling iron--so tedious and time consuming)for a special occasion, the curls stay for about a half hour.