A Six-Year-Old Fashionista
We had major drama this morning. The outside temperature hit 51 degrees, which I thought was too cold for shorts. I sent my son back to his room to change clothes. That’s when the tears and begging started.
I’m not sure when it happened, but sometime after my son hit the age of four, he decided he didn’t like jeans. He would whine and complain that they weren’t comfortable. Fair enough. I shopped around and found some that had a little more elastic, but each morning when it was time to get dressed, we had a knock down, drag out fight. He wouldn’t wear the jeans without sobbing.
To make matters even stranger, he loved a pair of black jeans that he had. They were identical in every way to his other jeans…they were just black. He wanted to wear those every day. 
So this morning, when I ordered him to put on jeans, he cried and moaned and told me that everyone was going to make fun of him.
Son: NO ONE wear jeans in first grade, Mom. They’ll laugh at me.
Me: No, they won’t. Get dressed.
Son: Everyone else gets to wear jogging pants. Why can’t I wear jogging pants?
Me: Because their moms are nicer than yours. Poor you. You have a really mean Mommy. Now put the jeans on.
Son: I’ll never wear them! I’ll just wear shorts!
Me: No, you won’t. But you will lose all television and desserts for the rest of the week if you keep arguing with me.
Son: (bawling) I hate jeans! They don’t make me comfortable. Please let me wear jogging pants!
Me: You’ll be fine. 
I’m really not sure where all of this came from. Did your kids, or did you, go through any fashion trends where they wouldn’t wear certain clothes? What’s up with that?
In other news, here’s a fun book cover. This is The Warrior’s Touch, out in Germany this month. I’ll admit, I get such a kick out of foreign covers. They retitled it “The Irish Healer.” I love the woman on the cover–she’s a great model for Aileen. The hero? Um, Connor has a bit more jewelry than I’d like. Those bracelets…woo. And the necklace…. Notice the halo around his head. :)The other thing that made me wonder was the mountains in the background. My fictional location is in central Ireland, so rolling hills is about the best you’ll get. I do think they’re pretty though. All in all, it’s fun to see what the art department came up with. 
The Warrior's Touch
Michelle posted in Writing @ 5:00 am | Viewed 1475 times
beth Says:
You could always get him some dress pants. He thinks jeans are uncomfortable?
I remember dying to have jeans as a kid - when my mom finally caved (she’s of the generation that jeans were what poor people and farm hands wore and it galled her that her kids who could afford otherwise would want to wear them) she bought us pleated jeans. I would have rather stayed in the slacks.
Love Aileen. Connor looks like a slightly blonder Alan Rickman circa Die Hard. So…maybe it’ll work for the German audience?
And hey, maybe they just thought the people were super short…so those really are rolling hills in the background? 
Michelle Willingham Says:
Beth–I’ll never forget when I was in 8th grade, remember how it was fashion to have a hole in the knee of your jeans? I finally got a hole and I spent time in English class widening it until it looked supercool.
My mom sewed it up that night and I had this big old seam. Could I have looked like more of a dork?
I’m not sure who Connor looks like. He reminds me of someone and I can’t put my finger on it. But Aileen is dead-on right. She has that natural beauty that I LOVE in a heroine.
Tori Lennox Says:
LOL re the 6 year old fashion policeman!
The cover is fun, but yeah, where did those craggy mountains come from?!
Ellen Says:
I don’t think they had jeans when I was 6 (LOL). I’m sure they did but as Beth said they were for the poor and farmers. And girls only wore dresses or skirts. No pants for girls unless it was below freezing and then we were allowed to wear them UNDER our dresses when we were outside only. Inside we had to take them off.
Fedora Says:
What fun with the cover, Michelle!
Hmm… my son went through a no-jeans phase when he was younger (maybe when he was under 6?)–he would only wear sweats or if I let him, his pajamas. He LOVED his pajamas and would promptly change into them whenever we got back home from something. BUT he’s eight now, and guess what? Now he won’t touch sweats with a 10-foot-pole. Won’t wear them. EVER. If they’re the last pair of clean pants, he’ll put on a pair of dirty pants.
Now he’ll only wear jeans or khakis. Saints preserve us!
And my daughter’s been choosing her own outfits since she was two–argh! She’s cut down somewhat on the changing several times a day thing, but she’s still terrible at putting the rejects away.
ARGH! It’s enough to drive a mom to drink, really
Happy Friday, everyone!
Michelle Willingham Says:
Ellen–you know, my mother doesn’t own a pair of jeans. She grew up and had to wear them every day (farmer’s daughter) and won’t touch them. I LOVE my jeans.
Fedora–you’re making me feel hope for the future. I’m tempted to box up all his jogging pants …out of sight, out of mind…but I’m not sure that’ll work. It just amazes me that we go through this with BOYS. His other phase is wanting to dress like a superhero at every moment. He has a blue Powerrangers costume that he would wear 24-7, if I’d let him.
Debbie C Says:
I pretty much live in jeans 365 days a year. I haven’t worn shorts since before high school, and I’ll rarely put on a (long) skirt. I even wear my jeans through the summer when it’s 90-100 degrees outside. It still drives my mom nuts.
The German cover is pretty although I did notice that Connor seemed to have a glow about him.
Olga Says:
The German cover is fun, and Aileen is gorgeous. Lol about the 6-year old fashionista! I don’t think I had jeans when I was little. But what is stranger, I don’t own a pair of jeans now!
Amy Says:
9 hates jeans. HATES them. It’s just easier to let him wear nicer sweats, and the truth is, as long as he’s dressed, I don’t care. He wears khakis when we go out, so I’m not too picky.