I was moved the other day by Magpie reader Kelly’s mini-portraits of her children, communicated through the lens of what they like to wear right now:
“My son is very formal! He likes a collared polo, a striped sweater over it, and the Zara comfy suit pants. He prefers neutrals like his mama, with pops of red, and wears the same Kizik black sneakers I do. He hates getting dirty or stained. He likes to match. My daughter likes pink more than anything…[and] her older brother’s tees as nightgowns. I rarely wrangle her into a sweater. Her favorite outfit is a pink tee printed with red hearts, matching sweater, and wide leg pink pants with heart pockets, worn with red heart sunglasses. I do her hair into two little buns.”
The details of their self-habillage are of course charming but what struck me was the glinting silhouette of her affection for her babies. The tender watchfulness of this description!
I wondered — what are some of the tiny, idiosyncratic things you love about your children?
For me and mine:
Emory — Hilarious. We have no idea where her wry sense of humor came from — at 8, she can pull off deadpan comedy with the timing of someone five or ten years her senior. Hyper-observant: watchful eyes, always peering over her glasses; nothing passes her notice! This means she has an absurdly high EQ and is perspicacious beyond her years. Deeply creative — almost never without a pen and paper, talented at sketch-work, constantly re-assessing her own work in service of improvement (“I don’t like the way her left hand looks in this drawing”), naturally gifted with vision and ability. Fiercely committed to watch she wants (whether winning a game, lobbying for an extra cookie, standing up for her brother). Still carries beanie babies and stuffies with her everywhere (she’s almost 9). Never without a book. Proud of her readership. Despite her strength and ferocity, startlingly affectionate. Love yogurt parfaits and full breakfasts. We call her “the house attorney” — she can and will argue a point for pleasure. Has a strong center and stands still in it. Has her own developed style — wears two tendrils down the sides of her face, prefers baggy sweatpants, will not tuck her shirts in, knows immediately whether she likes or doesn’t like something. Brave. Told me yesterday: “I like weird people. I like nerds. I’m one of them.” I told her: “I identify with those descriptions, too, but we don’t need to label ourselves in any one way! You can like what you like and not have a name for it,” she said: “I know. But still — I like people who are different. That’s what I am.” (YES, girl.)
Hill — My brother once said, “Hill is the best of us.” A dad friend of ours told me: “Hill never has a bad day.” And his teacher said: “Seeing the best in people is as natural to Hill as breathing.” He is magically sweet and bright-eyed. A tender petal, a sensitive and poetic soul, but also somehow operates with quiet confidence. Chronically resilient. Seems to not care what other people think of him; able to brush off frustration and disappointment quickly. Deeply concerned about animals and especially birds — he notices them, and identifies them correctly, before anyone else. We call him “our philosopher” — will ask profound questions in the middle of morning cereal about death, life after death, etc. A mind for math and puzzles. A natural engineer. Drinks apple cider by the gallon. Heart-breakingly obsessed with his sister — cannot wait to share his accomplishments, good news, and observations with her. Hyper sentimental (keeps a box of special papers — notes, cards, etc, and will look through them and cry if any of them rip or go missing). A little bit of a flirt. Looks adorable in absolutely any clothes he wears — even things I cringe at on the hanger (character t-shirts) look cute on him. Still needs me in his bedtime routine.
All of these photos were taken on our magical trip to New York City last summer and capture their personalities so well!
OK, your turn. Share some of the gleaming little details you treasure about your babies!
Post-Scripts.
+Advice from the septuagenarian Magpie set. (Do we want to make this a recurring series? Feel free to send me questions you have for big sister types and I’ll work on a follow-up post.)
+A place for all of your organizational strategies and questions. (Comments are playing out beautifully.)
+Things we’ve bought for life. A few oversights in my first pass list that many of you mentioned: Kitchenaid stand mixers, Le Creuset dutch ovens, LL Bean boots!
Shopping Break.
+Ooh! J. Crew released a great, less expensive alt for the Doen Sebastiane. This is a staple in my spring-to-summer wardrobe!
+This rollneck in the new peony pink color!
+Goop beauty sale ongoing! I ordered this body polish version of my favorite face scrub and restocked this bronzing gel (more like a cosmetic — not a self-tanner) to give my pallid skin a little boost.
+A friend of mine asked what shoes to wear with a midi-length navy skirt and navy sweater to an event at an embassy here in DC. My top pick: a suede, low-heel boot in taupe, chestnut, or camel. This is the one we decided on for her! SO good and a great price point.
+Wah – in the throes of perimenopausal hair hell. My hair is thinner in certain parts and runs very dry. I’ve been using this growth serum, rosemary oil, and this overnight hair serum to help. I haven’t seen much of a change in hair growth/volume yet (but have only been dedicated to this trifecta for a few weeks), but I can say my hair immediately looks and feels much softer and happier. I’m still swearing by this shampoo/conditioner (LOVE for straight, smooth hair), and then I apply K18 bond repair a few times a week too.
+My Lands End tee arrived and I’m super impressed! It’s a great alternative to the AYR Early Morning tee — similarly heavy-weight, cut a tiny bit wider/looser than AYR, but much less $$. I got in the pink and white stripe and wore over my Peloton garb this week! Also cute with jeans.
+BTW, my new “All the Form” leggings from Vuori arrived and they’re fab. A little more performance-y / shiny than the “All the Feels” ones, and maybe a tiny bit more compressive. Have I mentioned how obsessed I am with the fact that this brand issues “short” length leggings?! I’ve been wandering around with baggy/too-long leggings for too much of my life.
+Other petite pants I love: my Rutis and these barrel leg chinos (<<not explicitly petite but cut for petites, trust me!). Currently eyeing these gorgeous wide-legs (in petite!)
+Reminder that my code JEN50 gets you $50 off this chic knit set, or this one (on its way to me in lilac).
+Currently burning this gorgeous botanical candle. OBSESSED.
+Who else is going to see “Wuthering Heights” this weekend?! I’m so excited. I am contemplating wearing this dress with this cardigan but we’ll see what the weather wants me to do about that dream.
+I think we all agree that cast iron is one of the top (maybe THE TOP) BIFL item. We have two old Lodge skillets, but has anyone tried this brand Smithey? The shapes are so chic!
+Your future self will be thrilled with you for ordering these gauze pants while on sale. I live in them during the summer months. Love them for that time of day between dinner and bedtime when you want to be comfortable but maybe not in pajamas? And it’s kind of cold inside because of the A/C but it’s still sweltering outside? Like wearing a cloud! Breathable, soft, chic with a little tank!
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Aw! Happy to share a slice of my care for my babies. Sent M off to crèche in that exact outfit today, actually! She charged right in when she saw the other kids playing. My big-hearted girl. She’s so clear on what she likes. She’ll cuddle the pink colored pencils, a tiny space encyclopedia, the toy broom, a silk scarf of mine. She loves music and she’s still singing Jingle Bells at top volume. She shouts “hello!” to everyone she recognizes. She’s got a real sweet tooth. She’s a little mischievous and loves a series about a little koala and her “betises”.
My son is such a helper. That was the feedback from his teacher this year, always first to volunteer “and very charming,” and I’m thrilled that’s his instinct when out of my sight. Yesterday a smaller kid fell and he ran to pick him up and comfort him, his buddy trailing behind. He has such a strong sense of justice. He’s so serious in church, pays such close attention. His favorite book is Glouton: le croquer des livres, and he has the biggest laugh. He still wants cuddled to sleep. He’ll spend hours building with cardboard. He takes things to heart.
I’m so honored to get to notice the specifics of my children! The way you describe Emory and Hill too absolutely jumps off the page.