Sunday, May 4, 2008

'Tween clothing, and Spring Shopping (and the whole Miley Cyrus "Controversy")

Okay, so I've pretty well established that I'm a mom. I have a son who's 13, a daughter who's 9, and a daughter who's 3.

While transitioning their closets from winter to spring, I've discovered that all THREE of them have gone through growth spurts (not just the three-year-old, who, for obvious reasons, I totally anticipated). The older two tried on a bunch of their clothes from last year, and there were ankles, wrists, and bellies sticking out all over the place.

As much as I love shopping, this is not going to be a fun adventure for me. Why, you ask? I'll be happy to explain.

I truly believe my son would rather have all of his teeth extracted, minus the novacaine, then try on clothes. And believe me, I think I'd rather have him not be there with me, then to listen to the constant barrage of heaving sighs as he walks behind me throughout each of the departments in every store we go to. But, because he's gone through such a funky spurt, and he's now a "funny" shape, he's got to try on things to make sure they fit. Not a pleasant undertaking, by any stretch of the imagination. He'd much rather squeeze into the clothes that now look absolutely ridiculous on him, and have me spend the money on XBox Live points for him, instead. Or Guitar Hero for his PS2. Or an I-Pod Shuffle. You get the idea.

Oh, and the things he will let me buy for him? He likes the "gangsta" stuff. You know... Sean Jean, Southpole... things that make him look like something other than a 13-year-old white boy from the suburbs. Uhm, Absolutely not.

As for my nine-year-old; well, she's got legs up to her neck, big feet, and arms that stretch down to her hips. Although it's in "fashion" for most kids to expose their abdomens, she's NOT going to be one of them. The quandry lies in the fact that she's SOOOO tall, none of the girls' clothing fits her anymore. So, I have to resort to entering the lair of the Junior's department, the very thought of which raises the hairs on the back of my head.

Mind you, my daughter is LOVING the fact that she can supposedly wear some of these concoctions. But, I explain to her, clearly and concisely... fitting into these clothes and being allowed to wear them are two totally different things. I will NOT allow my daughter to walk down the Miley Cyrus path (much to her shagrin -- Miley equals God in my young daughter's eyes) and have her bear her midriff, or wear t-shirts with "I'm a Bitch" splattered across her chest, or wear a pair of pants slung so low around the hips you can see her butt crack. That's not the kind child I'm raising, and she will not be giving any other impression but that of a sweet, LITTLE girl to anyone.

Therefore, clothes shopping, which I used to absolutely adore, has become a bit of a pain in the nether region for me. Finding clothes that fit my Neanderthal man and Amazon woman children are quite challenging. I didn't mean to grow 'em this big... honest!

The only good news out of all of it, is that I can still find adorable things, that are age-appropriate for my 3-year-old.... even though she wants the shirts emblazoned with Hanna Montana's picture all over the front, too.

Sigh.

1 comment:

Juvie said...

You might try some of the better tween lines for your daughter; they're cut exactly for her shape and fit up to size 14. And they're appropriate. My faves are Splendid Tween, Ella Moss Girls, Roxy, Lunchbox, and iT Jeans.