For some reason the other day I remembered the cutest bathing suit I ever had. I was probably about 11 or 12, just getting a figure. I was still enjoying childhood, and never realized that I had slipped into adolescence overnight. That is, until my first day at the pool that summer, when it became obvious that my thin cotton knit suit would no longer do. Some “mean girls” took delight in bringing it to my attention (in front of boys!), and I, in a peri-pubescent explosion of shame and blame, brought it to my mother’s attention the minute I got into the car. After all, it was her fault that I had been publicly humiliated and that everyone on earth was laughing at me!
Fortunately, Mom, while apparently not very observant, was very understanding and supportive. She took me to the Weiner’s Department Store to remedy the situation promptly. Not only that, but when I told her in no uncertain terms that I was getting a two piece, she didn’t blink - even when the suit I wanted came below my belly button. It wasn’t an actual bikini, though that’s what Dad called it when he saw it. He was shocked, but Mom told him it was okay.
The truth is, I think she loved that suit as much as I did. It was green Dotted Swiss, with white scallops and a white and yellow flower on one hip. I don’t remember what it felt like to go to the pool the next time, or whether the mean girls – or the boys – even noticed. But I’ll never forget that bathing suit – or how much I loved my mother that day. Thanks, Mom.