This is very relatable. My childhood sounds similar to yours—I was the only kids to get school photos with the basic background instead of one of the dance ones and once my feet stopped growing, I had to wear the same cleats and basketball sneakers for multiple seasons. Now we get my daughter new equipment at the drop of a hat. We just let her join a ski racing team (two new pairs of skis plus a bunch of other equipment) and I am realizing that we are probably the poorest family to be connected to the team. It might be a little twisted but I’m kind of glad because she will see what it’s like to not be the one with the newest and best stuff. We’ll see how it goes.

Thanks for a good read. I hope both our daughters turn out great!