Switched at Birth?

I have a tomboy. How did that happen? I think it's payback for trying to give my practical mother makeup tips when I was a child. I don't like horses. But if I did, I would totally be into the English riding, and the cute boots/hat and fitted stirrup pants. I would definitely not be a Western rider in sloppy jeans, ugly boots and lots of dirt. But my daughter? She comes alive in the country. Her favorite thing to do is camp. (Where did I go wrong?)

This week she's in horseback riding camp. We went to a dude ranch once, so she's not afraid of horses and much to my dismay, mounted that horse and hasn't looked back. This is honestly the only sport/activity I've signed her up for that she has stuck with. She cannot wait to get to camp in the morning. She tells me all about the horses and she is begging for another camp (which incidentally was over $300 at a reduced city rate -- ouch!) All the horse property here in the Bay Area is either in Saratoga, Los Altos Hills or Woodside (think minimum price $3 million -- and that's for a dump there.)

So Elle, country girl at heart, wants a horse. I mean, she's willing to go when she's fourteen and shovel the stalls so she can ride and wishes she could do it now (she's ten this month) -- but do you see the irony here? I raise a girl who passes up pink at every occasion and opts for brown, who would rather wear boots that heels to play in -- and she's going to cost me more than a girly girl!!

Now Elle's not getting a horse, but I will be looking for more riding lessons and asking myself why? Why not figure skating? Why not tennis? Why dirt? Why rugged activity? I have three boys for that!! (Who are about as city as you can get. LOL)