"The mom I knew threatened to divorce my dad frequently and required me to wear camisoles under shirts to cover my stomach. We fought often about when I could hang out with friends, and where, and for how long. She also stayed meticulously up to date on my life by insisting I catalog every minute of it in a ritual I called Tell Me About Your Day."
"So, tell me about your day. What happened in first period? Did you talk to Mr. Gallaher like I asked you to? What about the book report, did you turn it in? OK. What did you do in second period? Nothing? Come on, what topic are you learning? Did they assign homework? OK, I want to print the assignment description."
"For instance, in middle school, when my mom overheard my friends' parents using my chosen nickname, Jackie, she yelled, "Don't call her that!" and lectured them on why the name was "trashy." Similarly, she disapproved when I wore makeup or anything form-fitting. Being told to cover up made me feel uncomfortable in my body and ostracized from peers who wore what they wanted. I began to rebel by changing into prohibited outfits at school."
A few weeks before leaving for college, the narrator finds a Polaroid of her mother in her twenties and feels unfamiliar with the image. The mother enforced rules such as wearing camisoles and monitored daily activities through an exhaustive ritual called Tell Me About Your Day. The mother frequently threatened divorce and policed nicknames, clothing, and makeup, which caused the narrator to feel uncomfortable in her body and ostracized from peers. The narrator rebelled by changing into forbidden outfits at school. As an adult, the narrator recognizes that the mother's constant presence and rule enforcement arose from being the primary caregiver while the father traveled.
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