Pony Tails and Panties

Funny story.

I normally take Oakley to school each morning on my way to work. A few weeks ago, I had an early morning (6:45 am) meeting, so Mike agreed to take Oakley in for me. I laid out an outfit for her to wear, complete with a coordinating bow, so at least I knew she'd be matching when I picked her up from school.

She's all about "poatie tails" right now, and even though her hair is still pretty short, she begs for one each morning. She looks a little like Pebbles from the Flinstones, because the only place I can get enough hair for a pony tail is right up front!

After my meeting, I called Michael to see how Oakley fared without me. He said she was a little on edge all morning and went from room to room calling for me. She was really upset at first, but he was able to calm her down and get her dressed.

His biggest struggle that morning seemed to be getting "that useless pony tail holder to stay in her hair. They're too small for normal fingers to maneuver." He tried his best to convince Oakley that she just needed a bow, but she wasn't going for it.

It's hard to resist an adorable three-year-old pleading for a "poatie tail."

When I picked her up that afternoon, that pitiful little pony tail was the first thing I noticed. Honestly, there were probably only 5-6 hairs in it and it laid straight down on her forehead. But something else was askew as well. Her cute little Hanna Andersson dress that I snatched off ebay for pocket change, didn't look quite right. Now admittedly, it was a little too big, and with her matching leggings, she looked a tad too Granny Clampett-ish.

But, why was the neck pulled up so high?

And, why did the back drape so much?

Why, oh, why? Because her dress was on BACKWARD, that's why! And she'd apparently worn it like that all day.

"Ummm ..." I questioned her teacher. "Is that how she came dressed to school this morning?"

"Yes," she answered meekly.

"Her dress is on backward," I noted.

"Yes," she agreed, nodding her head. "I thought maybe that's how her daddy wanted it."

Who can argue with that?

And Mike's response to my discovery .... "I thought the buttons always go in the back!" Well, honey, not always. Not when there's a big fat tag in the front.

Fast forward to last week.

I picked Oakley up from school and her teacher casually mentioned to me that after Oakley had gone potty that morning, she came out of the bathroom and asked where her panties were. The teacher thought maybe they were caught in her shorts, and she wasn't able to get them both up at the same time. After a quick but thorough search, they discovered there were no panties to be found.

YES, I sent my three-year-old daughter to preschool commando. Wearing a cute top, a pair of short shorts and no panties. But her pony tail looked fantastic.

Thank goodness there was a spare pair of panties in her cubby.

Paybacks are hell.