Joanna Goddard

Today, I opened my email to see Brooke Barker’s newsletter about how a teenager complimented her outfit this weekend. The title was, “Is this drippy,” followed by “Is that even good” — which made me laugh out loud.

Has a teenager complimented your outfit (or shoes or hair or lipstick) in recent memory? I mean, who cares, right? But also, it’s a very specific thrill.

Here’s part of Brooke’s newsletter:

Brooke barker comic

Brooke barker comic

Brooke barker comic

Niiiiiiice.

Joanna Goddard

Joanna Goddard

Eleven-year-old Anton — who was born with killer style (remember his week of outfits?) — told me both these outfits were “bus,” which is good…not to be confused with “buns,” which is bad.

I remember a late-summer afternoon when I was a preteen; I put on a new Hypercolor shirt and rode my bike around our suburb. I almost felt guilty riding past people because I worried they would see me and feel sort of bad about themselves. After all, they weren’t me, and I looked good.

I love that preteen/teenage confidence — such a fun phase in life, I find it very endearing — and hope they feel that way for as long as possible. I’m really happy to indulge and revel in it. I laughed during the show Nobody Wants This, when Kristen Bell tells her boyfriend, “You called me your friend in front of the teens, whose opinion I care about most.”

One last thing: not to brag, but my friend’s daughter actually asked to try on my sunglasses. Needless to say, I’m never taking them off.

What about you? Do you have teenagers in your life right now? What do they deem cool or uncool?

P.S. Lots more on teenagers, including 21 subjective rules for raising teenage girls and teenage boys.