School Shopping

It's the time of year when I need to start thinking about school shopping.
I hate it.

I have had kids in school for millions of years now, so when Walmart puts their school supplies on sale, I start grabbing the things I know we will need. This year I was able to get 12 boxes of crayons, 6 scissors, 4 rulers, 24 glue sticks, 18 notebooks, 6 boxes of colored pencils.....the list goes on. That part is easy, because I can shop in the evenings alone while the kids are sleeping and Mike is working on his paperwork.

But when my 12 year old Diva suggests it's SCHOOL SHOPPING time, she is far from thinking of the supplies that will fill her backpack. She is craving clothes!!!

Now, I am not a huge supporter of going shopping for all new school clothes. We are blessed with cousins and friends who pass down wonderful items that fit my kids, and all of the kids have large supplies of outfits to choose from every day. When the weather changes, we may need a few warmer outfits, but we can catch those on sale when it's time.

But the Diva I mentioned is different. For one, she's over 5ft. 6" tall now. She has the body of a young woman, and she never stops growing. She has a certain sense about how one should dress and we seldom see eye to eye on her choices. For her, shopping is pure joy. For me - I would rather have a root canal, broken legs, or a concussion.

I have a problem with all the young girls wearing clothes that show their underwear. You know what I mean. Tops or bottoms, I think underwear should be covered. I don't like to see bellys peaking out, and who came up with the idea that shirts need to be tighter than their own skin? Thongs should never be seen by anyone other than the wearer, and certainly not for me to have to look at when the wearer is directly in front of me at the check out.

I want my kids to learn to be modest, but they think I am a prude. My 13 year old son wants to parade around the house with his shirt off, chest out, manly muscles pumping. I say, "Save us from the show - PUT ON YOUR SHIRT!!"

This prevalent attitude that I have can cause serious issues when shopping. I think it's ridiculous to wear 2 shirts, just for the sake of wearing 2 shirts. She thinks it's imperitive that she does, or else her friends will think she's weird. OK?

I think shorts need to be short enough to be cool, but long enough to be decent. Shirts need to cover all the essentials, but not be so tight that there is reason to believe the wearer can not possibly be breathing.

Pants on a young man should not only cover his underwear, but it should not require the young man to hold his fly, thus keeping his pants from falling completely on the ground. What good is a one-armed young man? Do they know they can actually get more done when they can use both hands, and not have to hold their pants up?

And whoever invented the leggings should be shot. I mean, if you are 90 pounds soaking wet, they can be adorable. And I love them on my little girls. But the older you get, the less you should wear them - unless you have a great figure that is enhanced by the wearing of such tights. Anyone else, beware.

It's like the email I got the other day that said, "Just because you can buy a bikini, doesn't mean you should wear one."

And shoes. Since we live in flip flops all summer, I have to buy all 6 of the school age kids some good shoes. By good shoes, I mean, nice, stylish, (velcro for the youngest)tennis shoes that will get alot of use on the playground. Never white ones, but ones that will show the least amount of wear and tear until the canvas is ripped, or the rubber comes loose and it's time for new ones.

My Diva? She thinks she needs at least 4 pair or 5. And not tennis shoes - those would never do. There has to be enough choices to go with every different outfit and it really doesn't matter if they are comfy or not. They have to LOOK good.

My teenage son? He is so skinny that I have to find LONG jeans, very narrow waisted, with pockets. Forget belt loops. He'll never wear a belt if he can get out of here without me noticing. And the criteria for his clothes? Gotta be awesome.

My eleven year old daughter is so easy to dress. She likes anything, loves hand-me-downs, and is grateful for everything. I love dressing her for school, and all I have to do is encourage her to match her colors better. She's not known for her ability to match an outfit.

I have a credit at JC Penney, which is part of the reason my Diva thinks we need to take a trip to the mall. NOT!! I have to remind her dad not to mention stuff like that out loud!! I would prefer to use my credit on christmas shopping, which, by the way, is just around the corner now!

School shopping is my least favorite activity. I think for today I will put if off and wait for the day when it is absolutely necessary!

There is still much more to do before summer can officially be over, and school begins again.