A Well Dressed Sin Son

They say vanity is a sin, but does it count if the vanity is not for yourself?

I have an admitted problem with clothing. Not for myself. Nope, I have no problem wearing the Target-brand special to work or a suit I have had for years. (Don't get me wrong, my favorite clothing store is decidedly NOT Target, but it's too expensive for me to enjoy more than once a year, and I made peace with that long ago.)

No, my problem is Little Bug clothes. Before I was a mom, I spouted off all sorts of stuff about how I was more than willing to take hand-me downs, that my child would wear whatever was clean, and that I understood that he was a baby and not a magazine model. All valid things.

Then I took a look at the baby boy clothing options. Umm, have you seen what is out there lately!?!

The majority of boy clothing is in pastels (which remind me of a 80's-era newborn), cartoons (I am trying not to commercialize our child in every way possible), stupid sayings like "Chicks Dig Poop" or "Daddy's Lil Tough Guy" (which are just stupid because these are babies, not contestant on VH1's Tool Academy), or the obligatory cartoonish/cuteish bear/truck/car/monster/dinosaur/airplane etc. (which I find really boring and very cheesy). And sweatpants. I HATE sweatpants. What's a Little Boy Mama to do?

I think most Mamas suck it up and try to find a balance. Me, I surprised even myself with my refusal to do that. I think deep down I felt like I had waited SO long for my baby, gosh darn it, I was going to enjoy dressing him.

So, if I don't like it, my kid doesn't wear it. I'm serious. Gift or no gift, hand-me down or no hand-me down, on super clearance or not on super clearance, if I don't like it, my kid isn't wearing it.

Now, this approach has not come without its share of problems. First, the bank account doesn't love the fact that I will seek out new clothes (bonus of adopting Little Bro: already has a total wardrobe, so I like to think of these clothes as an investment; Appa does not share this view). I've had exceptional success in the Target clearance racks where a lot of the neat retro shirts and polos and basics end up on clearance. It takes a bit of digging, and often buying whatever larger size they have, but I've got a lot of nice clothes to last me for the next few years at $1-$3. In fact, the majority of clothes he is wearing now at 2T were purchased last year. Go me!

In addition, I have a reputation in my family of being that mom who you never buy baby clothes for because the gift will go to waste if I don't like it. My poor mother in law recently had to call Appa to see if I would be willing to let Little Bug wear a Hawaiian shirt she wanted to bring back from Hawaii (I was totally mortified when Appa actually had to ask me because he wasn't sure if I would say yes and even more mortified when I actually had to think about it for a second). I'm not proud of this and attempted to hide it from my family for a while, but the word is out. It's getting easier as Little Bug (who in actuality is a VERY BIG bug for his age) is growing into toddler sizes where there is slightly less vomitious selections to choose from. You can never go wrong with a polo (unless it is in pastels, or has a cartoon on the bottom left, or….). I'm not saying I don’t like monsters or cars or trucks or things like that. Little Bug is getting to the age where he can start to identify things on his body (his attempts to put on his shoes and socks [ggnnness and ooaags] are priceless), but I have a very definite style for the graphics, which makes it nearly impossible for anyone to accurately pin me down.

I'm so not proud of this, but honestly, I don't see it stopping any time soon. I love dressing my son; I love taking pictures of him wearing cute things; and I love people telling me how well dressed he is. I'm a pretty good mom, so I am allowing myself this indulgence.

So, I guess the moral of the story is to buy Little Bug a book if you are looking for a present for him. And yes, I am pretty sure vanity is still a sin. I'm working on it…sort of.