Blinded by Summer Skin Exposure

***This was originally posted to The Chicago Moms blog***
I’m a big fan of summer. I’m the kind of person who fights to keep the air conditioner off. I like the heat and sunshine. Still, I have a big summer problem.
While others are anxioius to pull off the winter pants and throw on some shorts, I dread it. You see, my skin is a shade of pale not normally seen in nature. Seriously, I am so pale I nearly glow in the dark. When I put on shorts, my legs are so white they can blind someone.
I’m so pale that our twin daughters compare themselves to me in the winter to see who is more pale. They use me as the litmus test for who is sick. Are you more pale than Mom? You must be sick.
Despite my love of summer, my skin was meant for seasons where pants are the norm. Summer’s heat means I’ll be wearing shorts and skirts soon. Even long skirts won’t hide my blindingly white color.
At the end of summer, when everyone is so proud of their summer color, I’m still blindingly pale. (Yes, I know the sun is bad for you. Let’s move on, okay?) I can see my new, improved summer color, but to the rest of the world I’m sickly pale.
It’s not that I don’t go out in the sun because I do. It’s just that I don’t seem to tan at all. I don’t come home from a day at the beach or an afternoon in the garden with any kind of sun-kissed glow.
I know sun damage is still a serious concern for me. Just because I’m not golden brown doesn’t mean the sun’s rays aren’t doing the same damage to my skin. Still, it doesn’t lessen my desire to spend one summer with pale gold skin rather than my normal glow-in-the-dark color.