Crazy ‘Bout a Sharp Dressed Man
By Glinda
When you learn that you are having a boy, a sort of resignation sets in about the whole fashion and clothes thing. I mean, boys have this reputation for beating up their clothes, not caring if they are particularly clean, and basically as long as a few threads are holding it together, they are good to go.
I was also particularly fearful that my son would inherit my husband’s inability to match items of clothing. Although he has many fine qualities, fashion sense isn’t one of them. Brown belt and black shoes? What’s the problem? Gray shirt and gray pants? How in the world can I keep insisting that he can’t wear it out of the house, because if two things that are the same color don’t match, then the universe has a serious problem.
Anyhoo, my son had been displaying the usual young male indifference to his clothing. Clean, dirty, matching, unmatching. It was all the same to him.
But then last week, something happened. Dare I say it, a breakthrough of sorts.
They were having “graduation” pictures for his preschool, and I had picked up a lined navy blazer for eight bucks, in one size larger than his normal size. Yes, I know you are jealous about that. Often when shopping for the Munchkin, I have the Bargain Angel on my shoulder. For myself, not so much.
My son knew he would be wearing a white button down shirt and brown linen pants, but hadn’t known about the jacket. I showed it to him in the morning as we were getting ready and asked if he would like to wear it. His eyes lit up and he said, “Oh, yes!”
So he got dressed and I put the jacket on him. He immediately went to the full length mirror in my room and stood in front of it. And he actually began to preen.
“Mommy, I look like I am forty years old.”
“Yes, baby.”
“Mommy, I look like the mayor or something.”
“You do.”
He turned to me with a big grin on his face.
“Mommy, I look really good, don’t I?”
Indeed, perhaps there is hope after all, my son.
Surreptitiously, I wiped a tear from my eye.
And if the amount of squealing from random unknown females on the way to class was any indication, I may also want to think about amassing a large number of sticks.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
LOL!
my 8 yo has worn a suit and tie to school (2nd grade), just because. when we went to see the nutcracker last december (just the two of us), he insisted on wearing a tie, and when he found out we didn’t have one in his size, insisted we stop at a store on the way to the ballet, so he could have one.
this is the same child that will wear tan shorts, a green polo shirt, bright blue soccer socks (pulled up to the knees, of course), brown sneakers, an ‘explorer hat’, and a cape to school the very next day.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:59 pm
When my nephew was in elementary school, the one thing he really wanted was a tux. When I got married last year, he wore (at age 12 and at 6′) a long velvet Teddy boy frock coat–with his freshly trimmed Mohawk. Such a cute kid. He held one of the chuppah poles.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:08 pm
That sounds awesome! Yes, every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man, or sharp dressed boy, too. It’s one reason Eddie Haskell got away with so much.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:21 pm
My nephew went through a whole phase of wanting to look, I kid you not, “dapper.”
That included bow ties (real ones, not fake ones) and blue blazers.
He was PRECIOUS!
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:36 am
When my now 22 year old nephew was 4 and was ring bearer in one of my sisters wedding, he had his little tux on and stood in front of the mirror and said
I look GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.
Loved it.
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:35 pm
That is awesome! I really hope my kiddo gets a kick out of dressing up sometimes when he is older. He loves wearing costumes now, so hopefully I can convince him a suit is just another kind of costume!