So, I read Mary Pipher's, "Reviving Ophelia" a while back and CW was "sneaking" passages of it when she found it on my nightstand. She came to me with questions and we talked about what she'd read. I told her that while I needed to finish reading it myself and decide IF it was appropriate for her, I was fairly certain that I wanted her to read it. One reason I wanted her to read it is that in reality, she IS an entitled white girl on her way into the teen years and she need(s/ed) to understand how nice her life really is. Yes, we make her clean her own bathroom, and do chores and be responsible about things and people, etc. But really? She's not growing up in poverty by a long shot, she's not being abused, no on in her life has died, she doesn't remember anyone in her life being terminally ill and she has tons of opportunities to experience new things. Her life is pretty damn good even though she doesn't have a dedicated gaming platform of any type or a smartphone. (the HORROR!) I mean good god, the girl has grandparents on both coasts who can take turns challenging her and spoiling her, and family all over the country to visit.
Anyway, I digress. I had given her Emily Bazelon's, "Sticks and Stones" to read after I was done with it. So when she asked me if she could see the movie "Mean Girls" (loosely adapted from "Queen Bees and Wannabes")I figured that the curiosity had come from there. I was wrong, she'd seen a clip of it on YouTube and was sucked in. Whatever. I recorded it, and screened it to make sure that nothing was totally out of her league. It was fine, right on the edge, but fine, so she and I watched it yesterday. One moment, when the plastics are on-stage dancing suggestively, I paused it and said, "You know that pretty much EVERYTHING they do is wrong, right?" She started laughing and agreed, "Yeah, mom, I know!"
The crowning jewel though, was when the camera pans past Regina's (the Queen Bee) little sister in the background, who is somewhere around 10 years old, watching "Girls Gone Wild" and practicing by flashing her undershirted chest at the TV. CW damn near choked.
"WHAT ARE THEY DOING!? WHAT IS SHE DOING!?"
That was one of those pop quiz moments - and she totally passed the quiz with flying colors from that reaction alone. Not only did she have the appropriate response, BUT she got extra credit for not verbalizing her full reaction which was pretty obviously, "WTF!?"
