A Bit Unorthodox, I'll Admit

Our kids are weird. There's no other way to say it.

Josh was a late bloomer in everything except eating. He excelled at spoon feeding at 6 months. Unimportant things like walking and talking could wait. And they did. When he finally decided to join the verbal world at the age of 2 one of my first memories was of him deciding what he'd wear and what he wouldn't.

Early on, he dubbed sweats to be sleep wear. He had several cute sweat sets that he refused to wear out of the house. In my "I'm the mom and won't let a 2 year old tell me what he will and will not do" phase I made him wear a super sporty set to Becky's ballet class. He cried the whole time out of mortification. It was then that I realized why he wouldn't wear them. That was the last he was seen in public in sweat pants. Seriously.

To this day he's quite particular about his clothing. He's into brand names, color coordinating and experimenting with mixing casual with dressier. And now he's starting with his hair. What 10 year old boy is worried about THAT?! He's currently poring over magazines looking for a new style because his let it grow experiment is going to be cut short by mean old mom again. He's looking very much like a girl. I think he's leaning toward the Ty Pennington look. It's drastically short, but he likes it. Plus he has terribly thick hair and it'll be cooler for summer.

And then there's Becky. My only daughter. Bless her heart, she wore stripes and plaids together until just a few years ago. She just turned 13. Her fashion sense is starting to develop quite nicely, and I've resorted to asking her for advice in dressing myself, but it was slow in coming.

Not as slow as myself at her age. I can't recall brushing my own hair without being forced until I was well into my teens. I wore jeans and tees everywhere except church. I was such a tomboy. But as I never hung out with anyone other than my horses it didn't really matter.

I think I'm beginning to see where they get the weird from.

10 comments:

Karen said...

I so enjoy reading about your kids. My oldest told me what she would and wouldn't wear by the time she was 18 months old. Where do they find that opinion at such a young age?

Michelle said...

Not weird at all. I look back at some of my fashion (and hair -- although those I blame on my mom) choices, and I really wonder what was going through my head. So not pictures of pre and post haircut? I was hoping!

Bluepaintred said...

I was (and still am) horribly out of it when it comes to fashion. in fact, one of my most embarrassing memories is of grade six. I had just moved to a new town, and was on the swings with a group of guys, so pleased that I was making new friends on the first day of school. then, towards the end of recess, one of the boys mentioned that I had more hair under my arms than he did, why did I not shave. I was mortified. not only had I not realized I had hair there, I had no idea girls were supposed to shave.

Just one more reason I am glad I have three boys! I would be NO help with fashion and girly girl products if I had a daughter!

Flea said...

I have never, ever had fashion sense. Hence, I let my kids choose their own stuff. When they were little they let me dress them as I pleased, but now it's all them. And both my boys are letting their hair grow. It's just hair. As long as the school doesn't say something about it. Now, if creatures start crawling out of Oliver's thick, thick hair, we'll reconsider ...

Flea said...

Hey, did I ever mail the envelope with the pattern, or do I need to clean out my car to find it? I think I'm going crazy. My sister's birthday was two weeks ago and I just found the signed and sealed card in a basket. Ugh.

Karen Deborah said...

I still remember my favorite corderoy pants and PF flyer tennie shoes. Bras and assorted feminine garments made me cry. Being a kid and not giving a flyin flip about plaids and stripes is a great time in life, FREE.
I'm worried about the boy,...nah.

Anonymous said...

I am incredibly dense when it comes to fashion . . . most of the things in my closet were from my college days until just a couple of months ago (and I wish that the fact that they were from my college days meant that they were hip or cool, but sadly, they were neither.) I can't wait to see 'Before' and 'After' pictures of Josh's haircut - I think a 'Ty Pennington' will look really cute on him!

caramama said...

I think it's fantastic that Josh and Becky are developing their styles! That was something that was really important to me growing... Okay, maybe it still is.

just jamie said...

wish we were neighbors. Really, I do. Your kids are just so fantastic (and perhaps a wee bit like their mom).

Wineplz said...

I look perpetually stamped with the Old Navy look...drives Justin nuts, but what else can I do? I don't want to wear clothes that I have to iron or send to the cleaners...I don't have time for that. Plus, those clothes are more expensive and are often more delicate. With two small kids in the house, that's just not an option. So Old Navy I will be until I'm forced to permanently take up the Walmart look...