Ab Fab

When we didn’t know if we would be having a boy or a girl, we decided that if we did have a girl, that we would not enforce gender rolls. Meaning, we weren’t going to push her into pink and Disney Princesses unless that’s what she wanted. We weren’t going to make her toys kitchens and babies but allow trucks and blocks and all sorts of toys. So it was only fair when we had a boy to also encourage all types of play. Even if it was baby dolls and a kitchen. As my Mom says, “We can all learn to nurture” so we don’t mind if Connor plays with one of the baby dolls that we bought him after we had Tristan, so he would have a baby too. And for the same reason, it’s difficult to discourage the clothing obsession that he has right now.
I guess I can’t blame him for wanting to change 5 times a day and being obsessed with new clothes. Clothes are a big deal. We put them on everyday and there are a lot of rules that go with them. Like not taking them off in Target. Like not taking Mommy’s off in Target. Like not being able to wear a tank top when it’s cold outside, even though it feels warm inside. Like not being able to dig through the dirty laundry and put on the t-shirt covered with spaghetti from dinner last night. Like having special ones that we sleep in.
On Friday I was lucky enough to get to go to the early shop at UMC, where Connor goes to school. I bought most of his summer wardrobe, a toy shopping cart, an airplane, a puzzle and a pair of yellow rubber boots. You see we had gone to the Arbor Day Celebration at the Matthews Community Center with the MOMS Club, because that was the service project that I had planned for the month. During the activities, Connor found another child’s yellow rubber boots and had a fit over them. So when I saw the same exact kind at the consignment sale for three dollars, it was sort of a no-brainer. I thought for sure that he would be so into the toys that I picked for him, but instead, his new favorite thing is his yellow boots. Which he wants to wear everywhere and even put to bed last night, before going up to bed himself. He puts them on and says, “Are these cute Mommy?” as he parades around the room. “Yes, Baby”, I tell him, “Those ARE cute. And they look so fabulous with that purple tank top.”