Like a house of cards

NN is strong... she is sure of herself.  She is an overachiever that knows..by hard work.. she can accomplish anything.  But there are some things that are simply out of our control.  We're not tall enough.  We're not big enough.  I can't control my male patterned baldness. We're simply not made to be like the next person.  

Such as the case last night... when SW unassumingly made a comment... "Wow... you have a lot of pimples." 

This isn't something NN can control. She spent the rest of the night mulling over that comment.  To a point where I was trying to put her to sleep... and she got up and hid in the bathroom for infinity.  Who knows what she was doing in there...or what she was going through.

When she came back into bed... she was balling.  "I tried everything. I clean my face. I wash my bed sheets. I can't help it!!!"  She was devastated. As strong as she is... she crumbled like a house of cards. To a point where I had to wake SW up... go over to NN's bed... and have him apologize.  He doesn't know any better.  He's just stating the obvious. But words hurt. Especially for a tweenager that can't wait to rid herself of this curse of pimples and zits.

I tried consoling her by sharing my experience.  Including the dreaded pimple on the tip of your nose.  Worse yet... is the time when there's a pimple on top of a pimple.  Double whammy. There was nothing I can say that could right the wrong.  And with the crumbled house of cards... we start rebuilding.