Why Faith Can't Wear Make-Up

When I was about 13 I really started begging my mom to let me wear make-up in public. She thought I was still too young, and resisted my incessant pleading.

At that same time we were living in a house my mom rented from my grandparents. I desperately wanted a kitten, but my gramma did not like cats and told me "no" repeatedly.

Months went by with me pleading, my mom saying no, me pleading, my gramma saying no. I was outnumbered. My cries fell on deaf ears. The dejection was appalling. I was turning 14 and doomed to face each day with a bare face and devoid of feline companionship.

Then one day my gramma wanted to put lipstick on me for something, probably a Job's Daughters event. My mom resisted. My gramma said if my mom would let me wear make-up, she would let me have a kitten. I don't know how the cosmos lined up in my favor for that one, because never again has a compromise between two other people given me everything I wanted at a particular point in time. I just know I walked away dazed and slightly confused, but didn't waste any time learning how to apply make-up while cuddling my kitten.

I took some pictures of Faith today with her guitar. Our awesome friend Kevin has been teaching her to play. She wants to go on in life to sing and perform. She wants to play guitar, piano, and the flute. She wants to be a rock star. And she wants to wear make-up.
I won't let her out in public with make-up, but she likes to steal mine and put it on at home. Sometimes Jessica would doll her up too. My pretty little girl becomes absolutely stunning with make-up applied properly. So I have laid down a rule... she can't wear make-up in public until she is 50.

Today I let her put a little lipstick on for these pictures. Seeing them just reinforces to me that this rule is sound.

There isn't much she can do about it. Beyond the fact that she really is still too young to wear full make-up, she has no leverage power. Her gramma loves cats and Faith already has several of her own.

And I think she is pretty enough without it.

She rocks.