American Girls

To celebrate the end of Kinder - garten and the accomplish - ment of some independent work I challenged Julia to do, I took her to Dallas to the American Girl Boutique and Bistro (a.k.a. “The American Girl Store of Let Us Overcharge You for Everything Because We Can”). We tagged along with two other moms who were rewarding their daughters for the same kind of thing. Wanting to give Julia a little extra incentive, I told her for each work/activity she did beyond what was required, I would give her a dollar to spend. Once the abstract concept became crispy dollar bills in her piggy bank, she earned exactly 41 bucks. By the time our little day trip came around, the money was burning a hole in her little pink purse. Julia took her American Girl doll, Samantha, with her nappy hair (or “well-loved” depending on one’s perspective). She had high hopes that they could revive her brunette locks, returning them to their previous silky just out-of-the-box texture. (They forgot “Beauty Shop” in the naming of this place.)

We walked in and immediately all of our little girl’s expectations were met AND exceeded. The spacious show room was beautifully lit and covered with a rainbow of red- every shade imaginable, from deep maroon right down to the palest pink. All the dolls and every outrageous, darling accessory were wonderfully showcased from Native American dolls to modern day. There were cute friendly sales girls anxiously awaiting to show the girls around.

In the beauty shop, there were miniature pink salon chairs and pictures of different doll hairstyles from which to choose. We left nappy- headed Samantha with Endia and began our $41 shopping spree-except we only had $31 at this point. (The hairstyle was $10.) After pricing the first thing she wanted to take home, she was wishing she had done more work instead of eating, playing and sleeping. Thirty one dollars wasn’t going to go very far.

By the end of our shopping (and if Mr. Webster ever shops with Julia, he will have to re-write the definition), I found myself thinking $22 was a bargain for a pair of miniature silky Asian inspired pj’s. I mean, this outfit even came with slippers! A steal, indeed! What?! I needed to get out of there. One thing I have learned about Julia this year is that making decisions doesn’t come easy for her, so after looking at EVERY little overpriced thing, she narrowed it down to four things which totaled well over $100. She had to make her choices. I did my darndest to keep my mouth shut, and let me tell you, it was hard. Excruciating, actually. Get ready for this-- the nauseating part. She wound up choosing a pair of slippers for $8 and a lunchbox that came with four pieces of rubber food for $20. Oh, and how could I forget the little 3”x 3” handkerchief? Her total at the register was $41.14- hairstyle and all. In true Julia-style, she had an opportunity and made sure she experienced it fully and then some.

Lunch in the upstairs bistro was as prissy as it sounds--very “bistro-ish” and tailored-made for Moms, daughters and the dolls. They provided chairs that hooked to the table so the dolls could sit and stare at their own miniature menus. The food choices were the perfect mix for two different generations and I was impressed with their grown-up presentation and tasty entrees.

Even though I was disappointed there was no clearance rack at the American Girl Store, the day was exactly what I had hoped it would be- a reward that communicated I was proud of her. That was enough but I was surprised by how happy I was when we picked up Samantha from the beautician. She really did look great. Her hair no longer looked like steel wool and Julia beamed as if she had a brand spanking new doll. Julia accomplished something else on this trip. She already has her birthday and Christmas list ready..........for the next 5 years, according to budget. Needless to say, she is anxious for the next visit to this cute girly store and ready to work for a much fatter piggy bank.