Exhibit A

Anna was asked by her writing teacher to read one of her poems at a poetry festival today. She is missing school (except for 7th period, which was apparently a disappointment since she wanted to miss 7th period) to spend the day talking about, writing, and reading poetry aloud.

She got up easily. She dressed herself very appropriately in clean jeans, black suede boots, and a black ruffled blouse. She straighted her hair and put on just a bit of makeup. She's gorgeous. She's excited about her day.

I would post a picture, except that it is four degrees out and she refused to wear a coat or gloves or hat. She wore only a light jacket because anything else "ruined" her outfit and didn't "go."

I am confident that the high school teachers involved in this day will be easy on me. They know how bizarre teenagers can be. But I did not want photographic evidence on the Internet that I allowed my teenager to go out in this weather without a coat.