I suppose that really it should be called a tale of three wardrobes, given that my clothes have also found their way not only into my own wardrobe but also that of  my husband's and our daughter's - but that just sounds wrong.  So here's the thing.... About five years ago now, we decided to knock two bedrooms into one and create a dressing room for ourselves.  Along with that came the fitted wardrobes, individually designed by yours truly.  The only problem was that once they were completed, I realised that I had, in fact, designed a much better wardrobe for my husband than I had for myself.  I asked if we could swap but he refused. Fair play I guess.  So, I went about filling my wardrobe. 

Unfortunately my less than perfect design meant that I didn't have enough room for the many dresses that I had started to acquire and so some of them found their way into our daughter's wardrobe.  Now, given that I had bought that wardrobe myself for my first house, and given that I had constructed the flippin' thing on my own, using only a swiss army knife (until two in the morning no less), I felt that I still had some proprietorial rights over it - and anyway, it was only the odd dress or two.  However, the odd dress or two became three, or four and then the things that I wasn't sure that I wanted to keep anymore found their way in there and then the odd coat or two until 50% of her wardrobe was taken up with my clothes.  On telling her for the four thousandth time that her room was a mess and needed tidying, the obvious answer of "but your clothes are taking up my wardobe space" came back.  Again, fair cop.  At least I know when I am beaten.  But now she has been away for a few days and I have had a chance to sort out my own wardrobe, as I contemplated earlier in the week.  It also occurred to me that you can't really let your eleven year old get one up on you now can you? So, this is what I did:  I emptied out all but a few of my clothes from her wardrobe.  Then I sorted out the rest of my clothes. I carefully selected some clothes that will almost fit her, but not quite and which she would like to own. In an act of selfless motherly kindness I have put them into her wardrobe for when she is older.  The fact that I may still want to wear these clothes occasionally is neither here nor there. 

So, the end result is that 50% of her wardrobe space is still taken up with my clothes, the difference being that she will like these clothes and they could be considered as being nearly, but not quite, hers.  Hopefully this means that their presence will be permitted.  I further hope that they will not be used as an excuse for not tidying the clothes in her room.  Except when she reads this, my plan will be foiled and I will be sussed.  Right, time to turn left out of her room and head into her brother's room where there is a nice big wardrobe. I'm sure that I can find another home for all those boxes of Scalextrix....