The girls’ school photos were this week.  For the past couple years, decisions on clothing were left until the night before the photos were taken.  This year, decisions were made two nights before the photos were taken.  The photos being taken on a Tuesday may have had something to do with that, or my wife and I are just becoming more proactive.  Either way, with outfits and hairstyles picked out in advance, the morning went smooth.  My wife arranged with her employer to come to work a little late so she could do Audio’s hair and help both girls get dressed.  I walked them to school and then held my breath until the end of the day to see if their hair and outfits still looked the same, or similar to the way they looked at the start of the day and ask them how the pictures went.  I feel helpless and worry about how picture day will go, every year.  Probably a bit too much. 

It didn’t help one bit that Dee Dee had a stye on the bottom of her left eyelid that turned half of her cheek purple.  She had a stye and swollen upper eyelid on the same eye last week that went away on Saturday, only to be replaced by this new and improved stye with more swelling and discoloration than the first.  No matter which way she turned her head, the stye was apparent.  I suggested that she point it out to the photographer and ask him to recommend a pose.  After she was home, Dee Dee told me that the photographer rushed her through and she didn’t have time to think about asking him about how to pose.  But, she thought that the pictures went well, anyway. 

Audio requested that her mom put two “piggy” tails on the sides of her head and one “BIG” ponytail in the back.  After my wife left for work, I studied the hair style so I might have some hope of repairing it if it got messed up.  But, through summersaults on the living room floor, repeated donning and doffing of the hood on her raincoat, and a few random tugs, she made it to school without undoing her do.  And, it looked fine as she came out of school at the end of the day, too. 

As we got the school yard in the morning of picture day, Dee Dee pointed out how she thought everyone looked so nice.  A lot of the kids did look nice.  But what caught my attention was the number of kids wearing t-shirts.  Perhaps, for some of the kids, it was their favorite t-shirt and even though it looked like it had spent the night on the floor in a heap, that’s the shirt they wanted to wear more than anything.  One kid, who I saw while on a walk the previous evening was wearing the same shirt he was wearing the previous evening, otherwise, I doubt I would have recognized him!  I may worry a bit too much about my kids’ picture day, but it appears that if I’d like some help learning how to worry about it less, there are plenty of parents that I can go to for some coaching.