Are You Pretty Enough for the School Bus?

Dear Aunt Madge,

I dress to go to work and stand with my child at the bus stop in heels, hose and a suit. There's this one woman who comes in a bathrobe and bunny slippers. Shouldn't there be a bus stop dress code for parents?

Signed
Practically Perfect in Every Way

P.S. Oh, and she comes with a pot of coffee and an ugly old coffee cup.

Dear Practically Perfect,

You didn’t get the note? Honey, you’re the one breaking the dress code. Now, I understand that you need to dress for work. But how do you know that she isn’t dressed for work too? She could be an actress who does mattress commercials or a student doing a research project on human behavior. You just don’t know. Not everyone requires a suit and heels for work. Why my friend Anna frequently works in a ratty old bathrobe and bunny slippers which have lost their ears. So the next time you go to the bus stop, put on your bathrobe over your suit, exchange those heels for some cartoon animal slippers (personally I like Yogi Bear, but Sponge Bob is very popular and the kids will think they’re cool) and bring your coffee cup. No, not the Old English Roses china, but the ugly one your kid bought you at the dollar store that says “World’s Greatest Dust Collector”.

Just remember, she who looks down on people will scrape her nose on the sidewalk.