Mommy's Project 52:23 Dressing

Dressing.  This word is used in so many ways in so many different places, it amazes me.

Dressing, as most of us probably think, is the act of putting clothing on our bodies, perhaps even a dress.  OK, makes sense.

Now, let's talk salad dressing.  You dress your salad with a liquid coating that negates the healthy benefits of said salad.  OK, I can see that.  Like dressing ourselves, we're putting something over food to make it look (and hopefully taste) nice, or better than it already is.

Who wants to 'dress' like a turkey?

Then there's dressing, like stuffing.  Turkey dressing.  What?  Who the hell dresses a turkey?  Every Thanksgiving, I can't help but envision dining tables topped with turkeys in tuxedos, dresses, and fancy jewelry.  Stuffing is just that, something you stuff a (preferably dead) bird with, not something you put outside the bird to make it look different or better.  Hm.  That one stumps me.

I can go along with dressing a wound, though.  That's putting something on, over, or around an injury to prevent infection and aid in healing.  OK, I'll give you that one.

In daily life, though, I think most of us think of dressing in terms of putting on clothes. I mean, it's not every day you dress a turkey, right?

My daughter dresses herself.  Often, it's painfully obvious that I'm the mom who doesn't get involved with her daughter's clothing choices.  Her day care teachers have always been impressed at how unphased she is by her ensembles, especially when they involve many colors, styles, and pieces, which don't necessarily work together.  I guess you have to then wonder, what constitutes "works together"?  It all seems to work for her, so I guess it's not all that bad, right? {wishing I had one such example handy}

I am no fashionista.  I often think that nudists certainly have the right idea.  I mean, why spend all the time fussing and planning and coordinating, when you could just walk out of the house?  Of course, you'd have to live in Hawaii or some other climate where you don't see temperatures get below 75F because then you get into the world of jackets, boots, the right hat and gloves and scarf, and then your handbag has to go with your jacket, and your boots with your handbag, and...oh WHATEVER!

I don't follow trends, don't look at fashion magazines, I shop for clothes for myself maybe once a year, and really don't worry about whether what I'm wearing is something that everyone else is wearing or not.  I don't really care {and it probably shows}.  Perhaps if I weren't having to focus on keeping my kids in clothes that fit them, and which don't make my daughter look like she's trying to work street corners (have you been to a children's clothing section lately??), I might have more interest in following the herd.  For now, though, I'll stick to making sure my son gets his shirts on with the tag in back, my daughter wears things from related color families, and both have their jackets on in the winter.