RockStar Fashion...

It's easy to forget that my unspoken communication can sometimes send a message I don't intend.  A sigh, an eye roll, an ill-timed huff…  I'm guilty of them all.  I’m just not usually guilty of them all at once!  Except for this morning, when the kiddo appeared from the depths of his closet ready for school.  I have no idea what I did (because I didn’t say a thing) but clearly it was wrong. Way wrong.

In my defense, it’s been an interesting fall in the world of Buehlerland fashion.  The kiddo has always been what I would call a Dapper Dan.  In fact, just this time last year I remember joking that it looked like Ralph Lauren and the Brooks Brothers were having an illicit affair in my laundry room.  The kiddo knows how to sport a suit and when he needs to step it up, he does so in custom tailored, cufflink clad, matching tie and pocket square style.  It’s a look a mom can easily get used to in a hurry.

But dressing down has changed for the kiddo this year and while my savings account isn’t complaining, the new look has taken some getting used to.  Gone are the matching outfits (he would die if he heard me call them that) and put together style my kiddo used to labor over.  In their place is a much more casual look which I can only describe on a given day with words such as “oh,” and “huh,” or the occasional “really,” which I try to toss in every so often for variety.  When I asked the kiddo about the change, he rattled off something about GQ and rock stars and trends and I have to admit, I laid off at that point rather than stepping fully into the conversation. If living with a world-class debater has taught me anything it’s this--knowing when to step out of a conversation you aren’t fully prepared to have is a very useful thing.  He was clearly disappointed with my reaction and we didn't leave it in a good place.

 

I’d like to think I’m enlightened enough to catch myself rolling my eyes or sighing a bit too loudly, but the truth is I’m not always there and this morning I got called out on it.  I could play the mom card here because frankly, I’m entitled to my opinion and my eye roll was a mere one of tens as opposed to the thousands I’ve endured over nearly eighteen years of parenting.  Or I could let it go and see it for what it really is—a one on the scale of things that matter and things that don’t.  Honestly, I really don't care what he wears most days.

Chances are he's already forgotten about this morning.  But I haven’t.  Which is why I think the best thing I can do is own this mistake and show the kiddo that I’m not above stepping up to correct my error.  #BuehlerLife