But first, let’s introduce ourselves:
Mother: Naomi Greenaway
I am 43 years old, journalist and editor. I am also a mother of three children (14, 12 and nine). I am always busy, mostly happy and occasionally overwhelmed.
Teenager: Mia
I am 14 years old, student and trend analyst (pro bono). I’m busy (on Snapchat), happy (if I don’t wake up before noon), and overwhelmed (with social fixes).
There comes a point in every parent’s life when the balance of power shifts. In the beginning, you are the oracle, the source of all wisdom, the interpreter of the complexities of the world—and perhaps, most satisfying of all, the arbiter of good taste.
Until a certain age, no matter how you style your little ones, there are no questions asked. Dresses with enough sequins to complete the entire Rio carnival, shoes that sparkle with every step, and hair bows big enough to overwhelm hapless passers-by are just a few of the style crimes I’ve personally committed—and not just tolerated by my three victims, but were received with gratitude, love and appreciation.
Nothing I dressed them in would sway them from their one true belief – mom has great taste. And, of course, it’s not just the curation of their clothes that they appreciate, but yours too. What mom hasn’t had her chubby legs thrust into high heels and tops drag to the floor when they’re styled as maxi dresses — or experienced the occasional panic when necklaces are dangling, all at once, around little necks.
But slowly, foreign ideas find their way into those tiny brain cells, and their parent-style concept of omnipotence erodes. It starts with a refusal to wear that sequined dress, then it’s a wrinkled nose at those fabulous heels they used to knock around in, and then… “Then” is the subject of this new bi-weekly column. Then, your child becomes a teenager and you are no longer the provider of all needs and information. It might start with, “No, Mom, I’m using the wrong button to take a selfie” or “Mom, you don’t need to write ‘Love, Naomi’ in a text message.”
Pretty soon they’re the ones who “get it” (or think they do) and you’re the one matching their explanation of how TikTok will decide the future of the universe and hanging on every word as they interpret the complexities of the world . When it comes to my 14-year-old daughter, the parent-child dynamic has definitely changed.
