Of Shoes and Shirts

I'm not going to lie, I hate light up shoes.  I think they are cheesy and ugly and usually accompanied by bright and annoying color combos that manage to match nothing.  Before Little Bug came home, I swore he would never own a pair.  And for a long time, he didn't.  He hoofed it (when he could eventually hoof it), in brown leather shoes, cute and basic and slightly bland...pretty much my taste.

And then, in a moment of lunacy at T@rget one afternoon, I bought him a pair of obnoxious Lightning McQueen light up shoes as well as a new pair of brown shoes.  Needless to say, the brown shoes got little wear after my son's face shone with joy and pride for weeks after those stupid light up shoes showed up.

And I swore that in this world where he has so many crappy things to deal with, bland shoes would never again be one of them.

But I'm here to tell you that light up shoes are gateway fashion.  Once your kid has a giant red race car with a face on his foot, it seems silly to insist he wear a cute stripped sweater or polo shirt when all he really wants to do is wear his Thomas shirt.  And because you've already debased his feet, what's the harm in letting him enjoy a neon blue shirt with a neon orange smiling train plastered across the front?  As much as it kills me inside, it's hard for me now to buy him any article of clothing that I can't imagine him getting excited about.

Hence the teal shirt with a hot dog wearing a mustard mustache, the multiple shirts with construction and farm equipment, and the most horrifically obnoxious Cars and Thomas shirts to ever grace screen printers. He even has a reindeer shirt that is in rotation during months it certainly shouldn't be in rotation.  God help us all the first time he sees a shirt that actually lights up.

And for Little Bro, I can't just insist that because he doesn't have to rely on his clothing to help with social skills he can only wear clothes his Mama likes.  In the couple of months since Little Bug got his coveted new fire truck shoes, Little Bro has been increasingly sad (and vocal) about his displeasure at his black canvas kicks that I adore.  If I am going to embrace it, I need to embrace it for both boys. Boo.

Despite my attempt at swaying him toward something, anything less red and bright, Little Bro insisted on fire truck shoes just like his brother.  This morning, they stood there staring at each other, both finally wearing light up fire truck shoes, and you'd think I just told them they won the lottery.  They both started jumping up and down and sqealing with delight.  "Look Mama, Look!  Little Bug/Little Bro's fire truck shoes!!!!"  There was much pointing and excited shaking of fists and stomping of feet.

It was cute and they were happy.  And I am a sucker for them being cute and happy.

And for the record, I may or may not have purchased a DIY screen printing kit to make 뿡뿡이 shirts.  Having your kid wear an orange farting thing on a shirt is probably rock bottom as far as kid's fashion can go.