Today I was chatting with a co-worker when the topic of public embarrassment and family came up. Immediately that fateful winter of 1990 came to memory as if it were just last week. The cheesy items and marked down nick-knacks of overstocked holiday shelves came glittering into my mind like a bad Tina Turner impersonator. And ultimately the sting of embarrassment hit my cheeks faster than my mind could wipe away the memory. At the young age of twelve, my self-esteem and confidence bordered on non-existent. My mother and I had moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and I enrolled in a new school. As if living with my mother, aunt, cousin and grandmother was not punishment enough for a teenager coming into her own; I had a whole new world of teens to contend with. Being the new kid is always a challenge even more so when your parents are divorced in a state that prides itself on "family values." The school year didn't start off with great success and by the time the holidays rolled around I was still struggling through the days. To top things off my mom thought it would be a great idea to get my photo on a t-shirt for my dad's xmas gift. Oh my! I don't know of many experiences that are more torturous to a teenager than getting your photo taken at the mall. Well, I certainly learned that year what was...Getting your photo taken at the mall and having the t-shirt shop print it on a sweatshirt they placed in one of those glass kiosks in the middle of the mall. Now the kids at school didn't just think I was a dork, they had proof!! Meanwhile mom is on cloud nine because her child is cute enough to make the mall kiosk.
My friends are reaching the age where they have little ones of their own. I have one thing to say as we head into the holiday season. Please, please, please take all of the cute kiddie pics now and get it out of your system. Don't put your teen through the embarrassment of mall photos! Just say no! LOL!
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