It’s perfect football weather this weekend here down South — clear, cool and not too hot or too cold. And is this only a Southern thing, or are “game day dresses” trending everywhere? I mean, folks have always dressed up for football games here in Alabama — you either do that or you wear your team colors from head to toe — but this year I’ve noticed ads and even specific sections in stores devoted to “Game Day Dresses” — pretty sundresses and other casual-dressy outfits, usually but not necessarily in team colors. Just wondering if that’s something you see only in places where the word “tea” means a tall glass of sweet icy deliciousness.
Besides keeping up with football, I’ve been trying to keep up with TV this season. I’ve never ever had so many shows I’m trying to watch. It’s extremely exhausting to stay current with all the action and I’ve already fallen behind. I did find enough time to write about it in my weekly newspaper column, http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20091002/ARTICLES/910025004, although, as my husband pointed out, I didn’t have the guts to admit to the one show he can’t believe I watch: Toddlers and Tiaras. I know, I know. It’s horrifying, but I can’t look away.
Coffee with Cathy 
The most important football game will be on Monday night, but we’ll watch others over the weekend.
I hardly ever watch any of those TV shows, but I must admit (with much guilt) I am hooked on “Toddlers and Tiaras.” I love hearing the mothers with their universal statement that “it’s what SHE wants to do.” (Right, and teenage boys read “Playboy” for the articles.) And I do feel so sorry for the little girls who believe that their worth is based on beauty and how well they “shake it.” The interaction among the contestants and parents is like the proverbial train wreck but I can’t take my eyes away.
I’ve not had time to get hooked on the shows yet, but hopefully, I will!
JonBenet Ramsey. End of discussion.
Your find husband summed it up perfectly.
I meant to type “fine”
Kathy and Dear Husband — I know exactly what you mean, and NCMountainwoman and I are properly ashamed but we just can’t help it. Maybe it’s a Southern thing.
Nope, I’m pretty sure the ‘game day dressing’ is strictly a southern thing.
John, why do you say ‘look at Jonbenet Ramsey’? My daughter did pageants, as I did before her, and believe it or not, it’s not all about the beauty. I’ve never been the most beautiful anywhere. Ever. And yet I’ve won my fair share of pageants. When my daughter didn’t want to do it anymore, she stopped. I think the little Ramsey girl enjoyed the pageants, her parents had the money to spend on elaborate clothes. And her parents were never charged and even scratched as suspects.
And speaking of sports, I have found that the parents of my son’s sports teammates are much more brutal than pageant parents. What you see on “Toddlers and Tiaras” is absolutely crazy, and so far fetched.
Dear John L. Pitts: You are SO right.
Thanks to all for weighing in with such respectful and reasonable dialogue. It’s just like anything, I think — there are good and bad parents in both sports and pageants, and it’s a shame that the bad ones get all the attention. It’s just like when I was a reporter and did school/academic news — the worst parents to deal with were the ones from schools with “Christian” or “Bible” in their names. I got my worst cussing-out ever from just such a mom, although overall most parents were cooperative and easygoing.