Dear Prudence,
I am at the end of my rope when it comes to my 12-year-old daughter. She is in the middle of a growth spurt but refuses to try on new clothes or shoes when we are shopping. She will just grab items and insist that they fit her and will throw a fit if I tell her she has to try them on first. I had to drag her out of a shoe store because she started to yell at me to buy her some sandals that were two sizes too small for her. My ex took her clothes shopping and we ended up having to take everything back, because nothing fit her! She couldn’t even zip up the jeans he bought her or get the blouse over her head. It is ridiculous.
My daughter is rail thin but shoots up in height. I told my daughter that this is natural and normal and she can talk to me about anything if she has questions. She insists there is nothing wrong. She started her period six months ago and handled it without a blip. She has had weird fixations in the past, like insisting she can only wear this one sundress and not any others or crying when we had to throw away her falling apart sneakers. And this wasn’t when she was very little but rather in third and fourth grade. I really thought she would grow out of this once she started middle school. It has gotten to the point that I am ready to throw on the towel and just get her sweats and crocs for school because I know at least they will fit her.