Over the Christmas holidays Oscar has shot up. And I mean SHOT up. The trousers that fitted at the end of November are suddenly two inches too short and all his adjustable waists have had to be taken out. He’s grown like a weed and right in the middle of a season too. How rude 😉 . It’s too cold for spring clothes, but is it worth buying winter wear that may only last him a short time? It’s the constant malign of parents across the land and the reason my poor child constantly lives in second hand gear!
It’s rare that he grows and the seasons change in sync, however last Autumn he did. He suddenly needed bigger clothes overnight, and it was early enough in the season to make a few new pieces worth it. I got him some jeans, a couple of tops and a gorgeous sweater from Next. This one in fact.
I love it so much, the colour makes his eyes seem so very blue and anyone who knows me will know stars are just my thing (I don’t know if it signifies anything but I’ve been drawn to the star shape all my adult life. I even got a star tattoo when I was 18) Anyway the point is I love this top. And I realised the other day he almost never wears it. It’s not because the weather’s not been right, or because it doesn’t fit well, it’s because it’s new (to him) and therefore kept for “best”.
But when is best? And how often is best really needed? And more to the point, how often will best come around before he ups and grows out of it? I realised I had to ask myself a question. What was I actually worried about? What would bother me more, him wearing this gorgeous jumper in ‘boring’, every day situations and it potentially getting dirty and worn, or him only wearing it a handful of times before it’s too small and can’t be worn at all? Seriously. Why buy it at all, if he’s going to get no moneys worth out of it? It’s clearly not a formal item, the kind you might keep for very special occasions such as weddings etc. Its an everyday item and was surely bought to be worn. I’m not sure where this attitude has come from. but with the speed at which he’s growing, it’s surely not one worth having?
I read an article recently written by Tim Wotton, a man with Cystic Fibrosis, who has outlived doctors expectations. He leads a full and active life, and is married with a son, despite (or maybe because of) the age expectancy of someone living with CF. It’s a great article and I urge you to read it. Tim has also written a book I’d love to read. But something he said in the article stuck with me.
I dress each day like it’s my last day on Earth, and never leave my favourite clothes in the wardrobe waiting for that special moment.
He’s so right. We never know what tomorrow holds. So even if it’s just the last day a sweater fits, I’ve decided I want to make the most of it. I’d rather see Oscar in clothes I love, at any time, than wait for a moment that never comes. So today I dressed him in his ‘best’ pair of jeans (and one of the only ones that fit properly) and let him go in the garden. They were muddy within minutes and we were off visiting this afternoon. Sigh. But so what? He’s a little boy. And he’s wearing some damn fine threads.
Actually, I think I’m going to do the same. Wedding dress party anyone?
