I share my house with boys so there isn’t a lot of time devoted to the fashion cause around here.  Being the Mom to two elementary age boys I have learned to pick my battles when it comes to clothes.  I have accepted the reality that my boys don’t wait in giddy anticipation for the postman to deliver crewcuts or mini Boden catalogs and they sure don’t like spending their Saturdays shopping with Mom. My oldest son started with t-shirts and sports jerseys of any and all un-matching colors at an early age.  While many of his classmates allowed their mothers to choose their clothes each day and help tuck in shirts and buckle matching belts, my son would bound downstairs in the morning sporting a KC Chiefs jersey (bright yellow and red) with a maroon shirt underneath and green shorts down below, beaming with pride for his ensemble.   My younger son cared much more about his outfits until he hit kindergarten.  Then it all went downhill.  Sports-themed clothes dominated and were the first grabbed from their overflowing drawers. They’re not exactly what I would call walking “fashion statements.”  Their closets are filled with sweat pants, football jerseys and obnoxious t-shirts.  I just make sure there are no holes (big ones) and that everything fits (hemlines below the ankles, please)  Every morning they will show up for breakfast wearing the most dizzying combination of colors, with at least one t-shirt that is on backwards, likely un-matching socks, and quite possibly the pajama t-shirt they wore to bed the night before has become their bottommost layer.  “Dressing up” for them means they have to wear decent jeans and their suede bucks or desert boots.  No blazers and ties for them! I have stopped investing in and stocking their closets with “nicer” , “cuter” clothes and have learned they truly need one nice shirt that fits, one pair of non-sneaker shoes, and one pair of khakis or cords.  So boring.
But yesterday I took my older son shopping for new sneakers.  I don’t usually give too much input on what he picks – just make sure they fit.  He spent a longer than usual amount of time choosing between two styles and he actually asked for my opinion.  Then he spent more time choosing the perfect color combination.  Not that there were that many to choose from – boys like red, blue, black or maybe gray.  He found the style and colors he wanted and as we left the store and went on with the rest of our day, I could see a little spring in his step (literally) as he bounced from errand to errand with me.  And then this morning he came down for breakfast in his usual sports clothing, BUT, they all matched.  The shirt and sweatshirt matched the shorts (yes, shorts in January) AND his socks matched AND his hair was combed and that spring in his step remained.  He carefully tied his shoes and was ready to go without me repeating 18 times to get ready to go.  Then it hit me.  Fashion for my 9 year old does exist! It just looks like a very different fashion than mine and very different than the kids’ catalogs that arrive in my mailbox.  But deep down I think fashion for all of us is the same.  Fashion is what makes you feel good; maybe even cool.  Fashion is taking that extra second or two before we leave the house to put the finishing touches on our clothing.  So my son may not choose to wear the “latest” in kids’ fashion according to the magazines and catalogs, but he has his own style and if it puts a smile on his face, then there’s one on mine too.