They Don't Love Me For My Fashion

I have a fashion conscious four year old.  When its time to get him some new clothes NOT just anything will do.  In fact sometimes Target does not have on single shirt that he finds acceptable. And that can be  challenging for a mother who pretty much buys all of her children's clothes from Target.  Where else could we go...maybe Wal-Mart?  He stares at me with his big brown eyes and tells me that he would rather just wear what he already has than get any of the choices he has seen in those stores.  I know what he likes.  He likes nice stuff.  I like the stuff that he likes too...only I don't see it at any of the cheap stores I go to very often.  But, when I find it I scoop it up.

My daughter would be happy to wear anything sparkly or twirly from any store on the planet.  And she thinks I look lovely in anything girly or remotely new.  My son, on the other hand, likes to give me a reality check about my style now and then.  Case in point:

I finally, after almost ten years of marriage, got a new swimming suit.  The old one was black and saggy and faded and desperately out of style.  I was thrilled to put on this new suit.  So, I hid in the bathroom and tried it on.  And, seeing as I had only kids to show it to, I emerged from the bathroom and asked my four year old "what do you think?"

I was really hoping for "you look so pretty mommy" or "wow!" or "I love it!".  But, what I got was "Well, the bottom is pretty UGLY....but the top is kind of cute."  Which was followed by "At least you don't look like a witch.  That old black swimming suit made you look like a witch."

Was that a compliment?  I'll take the part about the top being kind of cute.

Then, a few days later my friend gave me a pile of her old clothes.  Happy to be wearing anything different I again went home, hid in the bathroom, and tried some stuff on.  I emerged from the bathroom this time somehow hoping that I would impress my four year old fashion critic with this shirt:

"What do you think?" I asked.  "Hmmmm, well, you don't look very......NORMAL.......in that shirt." He said with a squinty look on his face.  So, I tried the next hand me down outfit:

"How about this one?".  "Well, that one's OK" he said "But you just don't look very COOL."

UGLY, ABNORMAL, and UNCOOL.  I'm pretty much striking out.  When HE gets a job I think I need him to take me shopping and show me how to look cool.  I thought "wow, he must think I'm pretty unimpressive." 

But, today, he walked up to me and said "Mom, what's that word that means more than any number could ever be?" "Infinity" I replied.
  "Yeah, I love you INFINITY!" 
He smiled and looked at me adoringly.

Thanks little man. At least I know he loves me....even if he does make me drop him off a block before the movie theatre when he's fifteen.