Musings of a Mom

Hubby and I decided to take the kids up to the snow for a weekend getaway. We pulled the snow gear down from the attic to see what fit whom and what needed to be replaced. Amazingly, my stuff fit, but then I didn’t try on my snow pants and, of course, my husband’s gear fit. The kids’ gear was the real question.

Jill’s boots still fit as we got them a little big last year. Her gloves were a bit snug, but would work for this one more trip. Last but not least, there’s Jack’s stuff. Poor Jack. He’s the second child so as often as possible we’ve tried to use hand-me-downs. Yes, Jill is a girl and Jack is a boy but we’ve been able to make it work much of the time. It helps that he admires his big sister and that she likes dark-colored clothing.  Don’t freak out on me here - we’re not making him wear her girly clothes, but when she was younger, you couldn’t tell if her jeans were boy’s or girl’s jeans.  (Plus, we sometimes put her in boy’s jeans anyway.) Hey, I’m not cheap; I just have better ways to use money.

So last year Jack wore a pair of magenta-colored snow boots. He couldn’t have cared less, he was just happy to play in the snow. This year he liked the blue gloves that were handed down, but was finally showing signs that he cares about what colors he’s wearing. So when I pulled out the pink boots, he laid down the law for me. ”I will NOT wear pink boots!” Now, I did feel for him. Honestly, I can’t blame him but I’m not going to pay roughly $30 for a pair of boots for one day’s wear. I told him to try the boots on which he finally agreed to, telling me how tight the boots were and that he couldn’t even get his foot in. Fine. 

We’re in California, so even though it’s our cold and rainy season and the snow is nearby, the stores are ready for us, stocked up on bathing suits. So I’m not happy about what the selection will be in trying to find boots, but I’m going to try. Darn it, my kid’s feet will stay DRY! So I was telling (or yelling, you choose) the kids to get their shoes and jackets on and Jack asked where we were going.  I told him we were going to find new snow boots for him which is when he showed me that men are born the way they are. He, like most men I know, doesn’t like to shop unless it’s for toys (and tools) so he takes the opportunity to say… “Shopping! Well maybe those pink boots aren’t as tight as I thought.” What!?! So I calmly, yes calmly, asked, “Are you telling me that you would rather wear tight pink boots than go shopping?”He looked at me as if I’d just said the dumbest thing a person can say and he replied, “Well, yeah!” (Read some attitude into the statement - think teenager attitude and you’ll have the moment nailed.)

To make an otherwise long and trying (for me that is) story short, my husband checked the boots on Jack’s feet and decided they would work for one day. We skipped the shopping, went to the snow and Jack wore his tennis shoes the whole time. His feet stayed dry, we saved the time and money that would have been spent chasing after snow boots that fit and next year we’ll either buy new boots or he’ll wear tennis shoes and we may deal with wet feet. Regardless, I now know that my son, much like his father, cares what he wears as long as he doesn’t have to shop for it.

 It’s spring this week and we’re getting some nice weather in California so it’s time to get some clothes for the kids. We needed shorts and sandals for them and now is the time to buy them, mostly because the stores don’t carry the items in the right season. Right now the stores are selling bathing suits and summer wear, but come May, you’ll only find these items on the clearance racks. At that point the stores will be stocking their shelves with school clothes for the fall. But I digress.

So we were out trying on sandals when Sugar found a pair of sandals that she HAD to have. “Please, Mom, Please can I have these?” They were heels! She’s 7 years old!  I don’t remember asking for heels until I was about 11 years old. So I did one of the dumbest things a parent can do; I started thinking logically. I said, “Sugar, you know you can’t run in those.” She said, “I know, you can only walk. I promise I won’t run in them. Can I have them, please?” Now, the real problem isn’t that I’m weak and give in to a begging child. No, the real problem is that I’m female and I too thought that these heels were really cute. In fact, if they had had them in my size I probably would have bought a matching pair.

So I enlisted my husband’s help. Or at least I tried. I asked what he thought about her having heels. He looked at me and then at her and then back to me. He shrugged and said, “I don’t know. This is your department.” Thanks.

I let Sugar try them on and said, “Let’s see how you walk.” Now, I know walking in heels takes practice, but Sugar doesn’t know that. Plus, I was still trying to decide.

Now, Sugar thinks that she’s getting closer to getting the heels because I’m letting her try them on (and she’s correct in that thinking) so she’s excited. So she puts on the sandals and takes four steps and says, “Oh, no. I’m not getting these.” I asked why and she said, “Mom, these push you forward!” I said, “I know.  They’re heels. That’s what heels do.”  She said, “No, Mom, you just don’t know! They make you feel like you’re going to fall on your face!” I explained that I have a closet full of heels and so I understand, but to a 7-year old experiencing this for the first time, well… “Mom, you just don’t know. I’m a sport girl, I want my tennis shoes!” 

And in that moment, my precious little girl stayed 7 years old.