Early on in the No-Buy Challenge year, I determined that I would have to extend the challenge to include not buying clothes for my family and as gifts. I can achieve the same "buyer's thrill" buying cargo shorts as I do a shift dress. Unexpectedly, not buying clothes for my two kids, 19 and 21, has helped me to let go, and let them grow up.
My grandson, on the other hand, is proving a greater challenge. I am nearly defenseless against little tiny t-shirts, miniature jackets and adorable sweaters. Clothes like these don't help:
Babies R Us Truly Scrumptious I stay away from the Toddler Department these days but this line by Heidi Klum called Truly Scrumptious at Babies R Us really caused a pang in my chest. Reasonably affordable and cute as could be, I still have an instant, deep down reaction: Wouldn't I look cooler if my grandson wore these?
Admittedly, I am having a difficult time overcoming the feeling that the way my grandson looks is a direct reflection on me. I find that the days I watch him, I want him to be well dressed and, hopefully, to coordinate with my outfit. As if he is some super-cute accessory. This started the day he was born and I pushed to have the outfit I selected be the one he was first photographed in. I even wondered if something he wore made me look fat.
Truthfully, he really couldn't get cuter. We have been blessed with a beautiful, personable boy who is both smart and funny. That should be enough. But there are days when he is delivered to me for the day when I still cringe. My daughter, the working mother, can barely get out the door some days let alone be certain her son has a completely coordinated look that both compliments and flatters his grandmother. How inconsiderate. Last year, I would have packed him up, headed to the mall and performed a toddler makeover within the hour. This year I am forced to swallow that thought and simply marvel as this gift of a child. If his clothes don't match, his shoes from the wrong season or the outfit a bit large or small, I remind myself that a monster t-shirt, a colorful jacket or a miniature sweater could not make me look thinner, smarter or cooler. I'm pretty sure that when he's around, no one looks at me, anyway!
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