Getting Dressed

Boys in their matching Grandma's Sleepover Outfits

When I was a young girl in Elementary school I had some very strong preferences about the clothes I wore. There was nothing I despised more than wearing socks. Socks were just soooo uncomfortable. They were either too big or too small, too tight or too loose, and I absolutely hated the way they bunched up in my shoes causing mooples (a term coined by 2-year-old Chris for wrinkles in your socks). I lived out most my childhood in bare feet or sandals, but once I started school those glorious days came to an end. The school dress code required that closed toe shoes be worn at all times on school grounds. By the end of my half day of kindergarten I just couldn't bare wearing those socks and shoes for one more second so as soon as I crossed the street and was off school property I would sit down on the corner and take off my shoes and socks before walking the final three houses home. By about third grade I was tolerating wearing socks better, but now could not stand the feeling of pants - especially jeans. When my mom would make me wear stretch pants (those were the only kinds of pants I would even think about wearing) as soon as I got to school I would roll them up above my knees into a pair of shorts. My rationale was why is it acceptable to wear pants and t-shirt but not shorts and long sleeves. In one your arms are exposed and one your legs are exposed. Same thing, right? After my teacher told my mom what I had been doing my mom gave up the fight and let me wear shorts when I insisted. 

You know that saying what goes around comes around? Well those clothing battles I fought as a kid have come back around to bite me as a parent as I face almost daily struggles over what Mason is going to wear. You would think my girl would be the high maintenance one in regards to clothes, but in our house the boys have Brynn beat in these matter. 

When we first moved to Omaha it didn't take long for Mason to notice that all the kids there (and a lot of adults, too) wear athletic clothing All. The. Time! More often than not it was Under Armor brand as well. Over the years this led to Mason refusing to wear anything other than athletic clothing every day even if it meant pulling clothes out of his hamper and wearing the same outfit day after day. Believe me when I say we have had many a morning battle over what he is wearing to school. I have bought him nice jeans and shirts that he flat out refuses to wear and they end up sitting in his drawer with the tags on for months on end until they no longer fit him. This year he has become increasingly particular in that he won't even wear sweat pants anymore because they get wet when he runs around in the snow at recess and bother him. So now he insists on wearing basketball shorts every single day. For fear of the school reporting me to DCFS when my child shows up wearing shorts all winter, we finally compromised that he would wear leggings under his shorts. He decided that was cool and agreed to that and now there isn't a day you won't find Mason in basketball shorts with leggings and a t-shirt with a hoodie or pull over on top because he also hates wearing coats. I have decided to save my battles for other, more important things, and am at peace with it. 

But the struggle doesn't end with Mason. It's nothing new for me to report that Miles prefers to dress in basketball clothes each day as well. The truth is that he has broadened his wardrobe options significantly this year to include a few superhero and ninja turtle t-shirts, but you will still never see him voluntarily wearing a pair of pants no matter how cold it gets. The boy loves his shorts. He will dress himself in shorts and then insist that "I'm not even cold!" even when his teeth are chattering and his legs are covered in goosebumps. The other thing that Miles has started obsessing over with his clothes is having his shirt tucked in. He just cannot stand having long t-shirts that are untucked. Sure I think it looks a little silly, but it really doesn't bother me that bad. What does bother me is when he gets upset and frustrated when it isn't tucked in perfectly straight and is a little wrinkled.
Thank goodness that Ryan is still young enough not to have an opinion on what he wears.