Not sure how I feel about this...

[Dakota16]

So today was a scheduled day off from work, giving me the chance to do something that hasn't happened often lately: spend the entire day in normal mode. I really just spent the day working around the house and recovering from an overnight work shift. But when it came time to take one of my daughters to dance, I decided to take things up a notch. I asked my wife to help with makeup since I now have some but still have no idea what I'm doing with it. She goes over what she's doing so I have at least some idea of what to do. Not long after, I'm out the door with my daughter to get her to dance class and run a couple of errands. I'm wearing a little makeup, black leggings, a long blue-green shirt/dress, a black sweater, hair pulled back into a short ponytail (now my norm since I think it looks better), and a black headband/head wrap. I should add that tonight was the first time I've used makeup since family pictures for our church directory about two or three months ago. If I thought I was as close as I've ever been to being the woman I am on Christmas Eve, tonight surpassed it by far.

While out and about, I noticed a few more warm smiles than I usually get. I just smiled back at them while I passed them by. The woman at the cash register called me "hun" which hasn't happened in awhile either.

But then it got interesting. I finished errands and went to the dance studio to wait for my daughter's class to end. One guy watches me walk in and sit down, and I notice him staring for a little bit. The class ends and a rush of girls and parents leave the building. One of the last girls is my daughter with one of her classmates following right behind. She tells me she's ready to go and I start gathering my stuff so we can head home. I hear her friend trying to be discreet ask my daughter "is that your grandma?" Although this little girl identified me as a woman, I'm still taken aback because my daughter is 9 years old and I'm 42.

My daughter replies that I'm not her grandmother in that "why in the world did you just ask me that" tone of voice. As we walk out the door, her friend goes "Is that your mom?"

Once again, my thought train comes to a halt. My daughter has asked me what she should call me, but I never really gave her an answer because that was one thing I never considered. Part of me expected her to say that I'm her dad. But she simply says "yes" and we're out the door.

We're not even five feet from the door before my daughter stops, turns around, and says "see? People are starting to see that you're a girl just like I do!"

I drive home replaying the whole thing with my daughter's friend in my head. On one hand, I'm elated that I passed as a woman to someone my daughter's age (the first time that's ever happened). On the other hand, that little girl thought I was a grandmother.

I'm not sure if I should be thrilled or offended. But either way, hearing that little girl call me a grandma still makes me laugh.

[VickySGV]

Well, I am a bit older than you, and a real life Grand Parent.  Happily, I do not look the age the calendar is telling me I am, but there are worse things that can happen.  My guess is that your daughter's friend may have never encountered some one with same gender parents, but has known families where a grand parent lives in the house with the parents.  Your daughter's friend used that model to ask her question, and that is fine.  There are a bunch of us Foxy Trans* Grannies starting to show our faces.  I have to hold back a terrible desire to laugh when my oldest daughter who is a year older than you is taken as my OLDER sister, or my Aunt.  (She has often been close to exploding in those cases.)

[Cindy Truheart]

I think Vicky nailed it, kids can only view things in the context of their own experiences. But congratulations on passing darlin'!! I have to spend 2 hours putting on makeup and hair to get there right now, it sounds like you had the minimal stuff on and still rocked it out!

[TexasLibraryLady]

Congratulations on s great night and also for having such a cool daughter. I agree that especially if you daughter's friend already knew your wife she was just trying to guess who you where and "Grandma" was a logical choice. Also remember that a lot of grandmas don't look the way ours did anymore.

[Timber Wolf]

Sounds like you had a wonderful day! Thank you for sharing it with us. It was a nice way to start my morning.

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Dakota16 said:

We're not even five feet from the door before my daughter stops, turns around, and says "see? People are starting to see that you're a girl just like I do!"

Oh wow, that's really sweet!! *awwwweeeeee*

[Charlize]

I loved this story.  As Timber Wolf mentioned it put a morning smile on my face.  My wife is in a wheelchair and doesn't dye her long grey hair.  I've been asked if she is my mother.  That is hard on her but fortunately she's only heard it once.  As Vicky noted there are some old trans* grannies moving about, after all i never had a chance to be young and hot.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Dakota16]

I'm sure the little girl didn't mean anything by it. It was just one of those "wait a minute, did I really hear that right" moments. I showed this to my wife after I posted it and both of us just busted out laughing over me being called a grandma.

Even this morning I'm still thrilled that I passed. Like Cindy thought, I just had minimal makeup and I'm going to keep that as an "everyday" look. Now the catch is can I duplicate what my wife did.

[MarcieMarie12]

Time to pull out that hair dye, takes decades off--it makes me look like I am in my 20's!!! 

And to your daughters comment: Dawww.......

 

Hugs,

Marcie

[Tejana]

1 hour ago, Charlize said:

I loved this story.  As Timber Wolf mentioned it put a morning smile on my face.  My wife is in a wheelchair and doesn't dye her long grey hair.  I've been asked if she is my mother.  That is hard on her but fortunately she's only heard it once.  As Vicky noted there are some old trans* grannies moving about, after all i never had a chance to be young and hot.Hugs,Charlize

Yes....Certainly there's a lot of them moving about here (don't know what that says, but it self-applies).

I remember when I was seeking out reviews for a number of websites, I ran across one for this site.  The reviews were surprisingly good, and persuaded me that this might be a respectable forum.  The summary consensus though, was that the forum was composed of a lot of later-in-life folks.  [Those weren't exactly the words that were used, but my descriptors gets the gist of it.]

[tracy_j]

I love the story too!

Children can be both amusing and irritating but mostly you can't help but love them

Tracy