A Screaming Nightmare of a Day

What a horrible nightmare of a day. Today was one of those days I have been dreaming about since my princess was a baby. It (in my head) was going to rank right up there with bridal gown shopping. The day was prom dress shopping day.

How far from my dreams it was. My bubble was burst from the moment we walked in the door. Princess and I have prepared and planned for this day for months. We have surfed and scoured the net in search of the perfect dress. From one website to another. Made our lists and checked them twice! We were ready. Or so we thought.

Obviously everyone else in the state was ready as well. My God at the people in this small prom and bridal store. I think in all seriousness there were about 150 women and girls there with a total of maybe (and I do mean maybe) 3 service providers. Who weren't even dressed to look like helpers. They had on street clothes so you couldn't tell who was supposed to be helping and who was shopping. After finally finding someone to help I politely handed our list over. Now it's not a large list and actually divided by: Designer, style number, and color and had 11 dresses on it. The "helper" looked at me like I had sprouted two heads. She had no clue. None. Their store was divided by.............................color. Not size, not designer, not a style number....................just color. Have you ever heard of such?

After going through the store from top to bottom and not finding one dress on the list (of which I might add came from their website) the helper started pulling anything she thought might fit or look half-ass (yes, my southern gentile side is gone now) nice. "Helper" put them all into a dressing room for us to come to later when we got ready to try them on. We were told we could continue looking for more to take in there and "no hurry". That was a huge mistake.

Let me take a minute to breathe here.......................

We get to our dressing room. There are NO dresses in there. Someone had taken every dress we placed in the room and put them all back out on the racks. I could have screamed right then and there. OK, calming breathe again..................

Princess starts trying on what we had in our hand while "helper" goes in search of our lost dresses once more. Princess then decides to cop an attitude with me. Me I say, her mother, me who has looked so forward to this day for 17 years. Me who wiped her butt, her runny nose, who cuddled her when she is sick, got an attitude like the devil himself. Why? Princess has never liked trying on clothes! Not liked trying on designer clothes! Is this my child I ask? Surely while I lay in the hospital bed after giving birth they must have switched babies on me. No spawn of mine would hate trying on clothes for prom.

Cut to the last straw. I developed an attitude myself. God help me I lost it! I shouldn't have. I know this down deep in my soul. My "devil within" knew not to react to a teenager having a temper tantrum. But did my little devil listen? Oh no, I smacked my teenager on her naked little behind. Boy did it sting my hand and her pride.

Now we have tears. Tears from Me and tears from princess. Our day was ruined (like it ever had a chance in holy heck anyway).

We left the store at that very moment. Never to return again.

Both princess and I have calmed down now, talked, apologized and made plans for this coming Friday to go again. But as God is my witness....... we will return home with the dress of both our dreams, in the style of our dreams, with the customer service of our dreams OR never come home again. Oh and I might add...........not with bad behavior out of either of us.