Superman & Barbie

You all know the parents: you've seen them before. They're the ones trailing around the supermarkets with a mini Batman or Barbie in tow. Barbie, tottering around in entirely impractical heels and tiara, can be seen pointing out suggested items with her fairy wand, much to Mum or Dad's embarrassment. Batman, meanwhile, is charging through the aisles, forehead creased into a crime-fighting frown, threatening to bump into any precariously stocked shelf at a moment's notice. Pimpled teenage supermarket workers glance nervously at each other, as Batman (or insert your favourite superhero here) rushes past.

Of course you have thought to yourself, 'if I had children, I wouldn't let them get away with that kind of carry on! I'd let them know who's boss.'

Then you have kids yourself.

Well the other day I became one of those parents. My daughter S decided that she wanted to wear her cousin's white flower girl's dress and nothing, NOTHING else would do. This was impossible, not only because wearing white in a NZ summer is a bit ridiculous as it's bound to get stained, but also because she needed to wear said dress to my sister's wedding 2 days from then.

There were tears. And not only from me. I considered it a moral victory that I coerced her into wearing the pink princess dress instead of the white flower girl's dress. Mummy 1, S zero. I didn't really stop to think the whole thing through I'm afraid, as we needed to pick up some things from (you guessed it) the supermarket.

In we went. There were some kindly souls who said my daughter looked 'so cute' or 'like a little angel'. There were also some parents who gave me a knowing sort of smile. All in all I felt a bit foolish.

But S felt like a princess, and I guess that's all that matters.