I work mainly nights and alternating weekends, so quality time with the teenager can be hard to come by. When I got a text yesterday asking if we could go out to lunch, I was happy to oblige. There was a catch, however. First, we had to go shopping. For me.
She accepted readily enough that I don’t think she thought I was serious. I don’t ever “go shopping” for myself unless the supermarket or liquor store counts. The only clothes I’ve bought for myself in the last twenty years are socks, underwear, and items with sports logos. Sometimes socks and underwear with sports logos.
If you’ve ever been talked into taking a teenage girl to the mall, you know what torture it can be. After a few pieces of pizza and an hour or so browsing for music and video games, you rendezvous to find that they are only a quarter of the way through their targeted stores. Don’t plan on doing anything else that afternoon. If there is a game on TV you want to watch, set your DVR and avoid checking your phone.
So I dragged it out a little. All I actually needed was a new pair of sneakers, but I went to a few different places. I checked out the new gear at Olympia Sports and looked at some shirts in Kohls that I wouldn’t be caught dead in, asking her opinion often. By the third stop, she asked if she could stay in the car. I didn’t let her.
Eventually, I got tired of the game, (OK, I got hungry) and settled on a pair of blue Reeboks. Somehow she ended up with a new sweater. We had a nice lunch, devoid of her attention draining little sister. Phones were left in pockets, a conversation was had.
Not a bad way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon in March.
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Originally published on Musings of a Thirsty Daddy
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