As my regular readers would have already discovered, I cleared out my closet today. But I also cleared out the kids’ closets as I was getting sick of putting clothes on them and discovering that they were either too small or had accumulated a strange collection of stains – some identifiable, and others probably best not asking about.
I’ve just come back from Target and replenished their closets with some basic clothes, socks and shoes.
Why I am rabbiting on about clothes is because I have just I read an article called Million Dollar Babies about how the children’s clothing industry has gone gangbusters.
Now, I try my absolute best not to judge other Mums, just incase – God forbid – they take a closer look at my own childrearing efforts, but in this case I have to give a Mum in the article a stern talking to.
Warning: I’m on my judgement box!
This mother is a self-confessed fashion addict and dresses her four-year-old and new baby in very expensive children’s clothes (mainly from Paris).
What got me shaking my head in dismay is her quote “I don’t understand Mums who wear expensive garments and then shop for their children at Target.”
Hang on! I am one of those Mums! Yes, I spend more money on my clothes because I know I will appreciate them – and because I paid for them!
How can she have no understanding of why many of us choose not to spend $245 on a fur-trimmed baby coat from Dior? Or to dress our kids head-to-toe in designer gear?
Don’t her kids play outside? Don’t they paint and glue and draw? Don’t they spill food and drink on themselves?
What world does she live in? A very rich and clean one, obviously.
Maybe she needs to visit my world.
The clothes I bought today will have a shelf life of about 6 months maximum.
I know my five-year-old son will ride his scooter and choose to use the tip of his new sneakers as brakes.
I know my seven-year-old daughter will wear her new leggings outside and suddenly decide to use a bumpy old tree log as a slide.
They will both spill spaghetti sauce, orange juice and yoghurt all over themselves, and I won’t even notice until I take their clothes out of the closet a few days later when the stains have well and truly taken hold.
My son will decide that he needs to enhance the design on his new jumper with a permanent marker and my daughter will sit cross legged on the floor, stretching her cotton top over her knees until it resembles a kaftan.
And they will both grow out their clothes, usually before the clothes have worn out naturally.
And that’s how it should be (except for the permanent marker scenario), because they are kids!
I would hate for them to feel that they can’t mess up or wrinkle their clothes. And I would hate to be constantly running after them, yelling at them to stay clean! Who has the time?
So I am not really judging, but I just want to say ‘lighten up, let your kids have fun – and please tell me what op shop you take your children’s old clothing to!”
Crashing through the pelvic floor 