Understanding Our Children's Aversion To Uncool Clothes
Posted: Monday, July 21, 2008
by Roschelle Nelson
Have you ever been in a semi-asleep state during a dream? You know the feeling you get when you know you're dreaming but the dream is so pleasant you try to will yourself to remain asleep in an effort to finish this wonderful illusion.
Perhaps the dream isn't so pleasant and you find yourself trying with all your mental fortitude to wake from this nightmare as quickly as possible.
I'm not sure what happened to the days of old when it was uncool to dress like you were heading out for a grueling day working and singing gleefully as a member of the chain gang.
His favorite shirts are generally large enough to hide a baby elephant accompanied by pants so tattered and faded that the neighborhood Good Will politely declined my offer to be rid of them but thanked me anyway.
Albeit, some of his wadrobe is more to my liking (the items I personally select). But it takes an act of Congress to get him to wear them.
I've spoken to friends in an attempt to find a resolution to the problem. The answer is generally the same especially from the one's who don't have teenagers "Why do you buy the clothes if you don't like them?".
As a young child, we shop and dress our little tikes like the sweet little angels they are.
But as they grow and develop their own sense of style (I use that word very loosely) we as parents allow them to make some of their own selections.
Instead of receiving clothes for birthday or Christmas gifts, they tend to prefer money. This gives them the opportunity to schedule a shopping excursion for the both of you.
Of course, you must remain a safe distance from your offspring while in the local mall. If you accidentally find your self within arm's length of the "shopper" his GPS starts alarming like crazy and he swiftly moves in the complete opposite direction.
Once you've finished this pleasant event everyone heads home satisfied and content.
With gritted teeth and a plastered smile you watch as he excitedly pulls these absolutely heinous pieces of clothing out of his bags to show off what a great job he's done. He even mentions the amount of money he saved since some of the atrocities were on sale.
And as most mothers can agree, I find myself being very proud of him. His growth and ability to find his own sense of style are all part of the process we call "growing up". Knowing with certainty that this too shall pass is concilation for me.
I'm sure some of my Madonna outfits weren't very pleasing to my mother not so many years ago.
The teen years are tough. Peer pressure is at an all-time high. It's important to feel a sense of belonging during these difficult years. If we as parents can tolerate some of their wadrobe choices, home life will be much more pleasant for everyone.
Besides, they all dress the same.
Watch out baby elephants!!
This Article has been viewed 213 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)hi roschelle,with 3 kids 17, 21, and 23, i can totally relate. underwear sticking out, even with a belt. now, what the hell is that belt for if the pants are down to the floor? and then there's the piercings, and tattoos, and me crying because my "baby" is marked for life.but, you're right, we have to let them do their own thing, as long as they're not hurting anyone or themselves, and their chains don't get caught in the sewer grate.i remember my mother being upset because i was wearing bell bottoms:)thanks for a great read,my best,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.I haven't had to deal with the piercings or tattoos yet (fingers crossed and eyes gazing up toward Heaven). But that's life. Just hope I don't have a nervous breakdown.RoschellePlease log in to respond to this comment.ha-i did,but it wasn't because of clothing, but it did have to do with my kids and a negative influence in their lives. the nerves can only stand so much, or so i found out.my daughter wants a tattoo, but hasn't gotten one yet, my youngest, 17, doesn't have anything, my daughter and older son both have piercings and my older son has a full chest tattoo but it won't interfere with society, and it is of saint michael piercing satan with a sword, and it's duplicated off a saint michael's medal i gave him, so? he wants a "sleeve" down the arm to the hand, and i tried my best to talk him out of it, i hope he listens.best regards,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.