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My mission for this particular afternoon was to find a nice evening outfit for an upcoming school fundraiser. The challenge was finding said outfit with my 4 and 6-year old daughters in tow.

Sound impossible? I hear you sighing and laughing and groaning out there, but it was not as bad as you might think.

I told my husband someone could come along with me, but I got two someones instead. I was feeling patient and decided not to fight it.

As we piled into the car, I started giving them “the talk” You all know “the talk.” It goes something like this:

“Girls, when we get to the store, you will be on your best behavior. You need to stay right by me and not run through the racks or pull down clothes. Also, there will be no fussing about drinks or snacks. We just ate and I know you’re not hungry.”

This all gets repeated immediately before entering the store, with the additional “If you can’t behave, we will go home. Do you understand?”

After all this big talk, I had to summon the courage to walk into the store. I am a mother of three and a preschool teacher. My wardrobe rests well on the washable/durable end of the spectrum.

First we visited Schweser’s. I didn’t really know what I was looking for, but I figured either a black skirt to go with something I already had or a nice dress I could wear more than once.

The 6-year-old immediately struck out on her own. From three racks away she asked, “What size are you Mom? This rack says plus size. What does that mean?” The questions kept coming and were getting increasingly more personal. But there was no running or knocking over racks!

The 4-year-old was more than content to wander with me and hold my hand as I navigated my way through the store. There were no tantrums because we couldn’t look at something for her and no screeching! Mothers everywhere understand that this is a very special blessing.

We eventually made it back to the changing room with a few items, but they were either the wrong size or just not what I had in mind. I had no idea it would be so hard to find something I liked. Even more surprising, the girls were cooperating and having fun.

With comfy clothes back on, we went a few doors down to Maurices. Different vibe, different clothes. The 4-year-old was dancing before the door shut behind us. Not crazy dancing, just walking and wiggling to the beat. The 6-year-old was trying to see something I would like and asked, “Can you wear brown shorts to B.L.U.E. Mom?”

I directed them both to the back of the store and we started our search. I had no clue what to look for, but the girls were on the hunt.

“Mom, do you like dresses with flowers or just plain?” “Do you need a special purse, Mommy? This one is brown and shiny!” “Those mannequins have really nice outfits!” “Do we need to take these to dressing room?” Obviously my Mother’s shopping gene skipped a generation and landed squarely on the shoulders of these two sprites!

We found some things we all agreed on and went back to the dressing room. One of the sweaters wasn’t the right size and the six-year-old said, “Ask the girls who work here if they have more of that size in the back. They do that you know.” The four-year-old offered to find one of the girls and ask for me!

As I tried on tops and skirts and dresses, I discovered my 4-year-old could work a hook and eye clasp. The six-year-old was reading labels and giving me the correct sizes. She was even putting them back on hangers for me!

In those few moments in the dressing room I realized they were growing up. They didn’t need toys or snacks to keep them happy. They were happy helping me and looking at cool grown-up clothes.

After lots more trying on and taking off, I decided to look at one outfit in the three-way mirror. This is not always a pleasant experience. As we walked out and I was trying to see all the angles, the four-year-old walked directly in front of me and started dancing.

Pretty soon we were all dancing in front of that mirror. I don’t know if anyone saw us. I don’t know how long we danced. I don’t care if we looked like idiots. We were having a great time and smiling and giggling and whatever!

Then Mom had to be a Mom. We all corralled back into the dressing so I could change. There were no tantrums or crying or “Mom, do we have to?” It was just three girls trying not to leave headbands or a purse or a bracelet behind.

After all that, I didn’t find the right outfit. What I did find was that shopping with my daughters isn’t so bad.

In the immortal words of Cyndi Lauper “Girls Just Want to Have Fun!”

We’ll see if it is still fun in a few years when they are asking to shop for $100 jeans!

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About the author: Denise Howie

Denise Howie is a wife, mother and preschool teacher. She spent her formative years in Minnesota and Iowa, graduating from Iowa State University. After working in the publishing industry for 6 years she became a stay-at-home mom who rarely stayed home! Denise moved to Hastings in 2006 with her husband and three children and dove head first into life in Nebraska.