Aero-WHAT??

You know, I don't know when exactly it happened, or how, but apparently I am one of those "adults" I used to mock when I was younger. You know, the kind of person who doesn't get it when it comes to clothes, or celebrities, or music. But I guess it happened when I wasn't paying attention. Not to the extreme, mind you, I still can hold my own with a lot of the music my daughter listens to (although I have found myself becoming increasingly alarmed at some of the lyrics), but yesterday I totally humiliated myself in the face of fashion.

While we were visiting our friends in Michigan, my daughter realized she forgot her hoodie at home (yes, thankfully I at least know what a "hoodie" is). So one of the girls gave her one of hers to wear. When it came time to leave, she told my daughter she could keep it. Lexie was thrilled. She wore it all the way home, all the next day, and even today - when it is supposed to be 80 degrees outside. Apparently, this fact had to do with two things: one, the hoodie was from Katie, who she idolizes, and two, it was a designer hoodie. Now comes the part I am almost embarrassed to tell you. But I will share, not completely admitting that I have lost touch with being "cool," mind you, because I am still cool... (at least, I think I am... shit, I am starting to doubt my own "coolness." This can't be good.) Ok, here goes. The name on the hoodie was "Aeropostale." Now, although I have seen the name millions of times, I have never actually heard it pronounced. So it wasn't without careful thought that I attempted to say the name to my daughter. "So, is 'Arrow - post - ali' pretty popular now?" I asked. She started to giggle, and said, "Is what popular now?" This put me on the defensive. "Arrow - post - ali. You know, the hoodie you're wearing." Sounded right to me. Arrow - post - ali. Kind of Italian-ish. But my way-cool nine-year-old corrected me. "Mom, it's (phonetic here) 'AIR - UH - PUH - STAHL'" Well, I didn't like her holier-than-thou tone, so I told her she could be wrong. Maybe my way was the right way. She laughed, a "poor-mom-you're-so-clueless" laugh. So, determined to prove that I could be right, I called my cousin. Who has a 16 year old daughter. When she answered, I asked her how to pronounce that "Aero" brand. "Aeropostale," my daughter yelled in the background. "She's right," my cousin told me. "Why, how did you think it was pronounced?" I wouldn't tell her, but since she was on speaker phone and my daughter heard her, Lexie screeched "ARROW POST ALI!!!!!!" and roared with laughter. And my cousin, who is a fellow adult and supposed to support me, laughed at me too.

So. There you have it. Stupid name brand clothes I can't even pronounce. That shit ain't right. Whatever happened to Sergio Valente? And Jordache? And Calvin Klein? I can pronounce those. No, now designers have to make weird names to go with their weird clothes. Whatever. From now on, I won't try to pronounce anything. Until I hear my daughter say it first.

Maybe tomorrow I'll discuss music - but for now I'm gonna go. And try to remind myself I am cool, no matter what those stupid kids think.