Will work for kids' clothes.... and shoes....

If you see me in the median on Skibo Rd. (the busiest road in Fayetteville for you non-locals), holding a sign saying "Growing kids need new clothes & shoes" just throw a couple of bucks my way, and drive on... LOL!! Oh, nevermind... I just saw in this morning's paper where the city is putting the hammer down on panhandling. Nathan's been complaining for weeks about his pants being too tight around the waist. My response was, "quit eating so much." Yet to actually get him to the store to try pants on is another issue... it's just as painful for me as it is for him.

So anyway, I managed to get him to Target this weekend, under the guise of spending his Christmas money, and conjoled him into trying on some pants while we were there. We scoured the racks in the boys' section, and quickly realized that we wouldn't find anything there. So we headed to the men's section. Men's sizes are so much more complicated than boys'.... waist sizes, inseams.... what happened to just having a single number? The most complicated it got was looking at regular vs. slim sizes.

Anyway, Nathan grabbed a few pairs of khakis (khaki or navy pants are allowed at school), and headed for the dressing room. I sat outside the dressing room and waited; long gone are the days where I can actually go in with him. (OK--he is 13 and a half; I will concede that to him.... ) Nathan emerged a few minutes later, tossed a pair at me, said "These fit" and then headed to the electronics section. I protested, asking why I wasn't allowed to see them on, to ensure that they did indeed fit. "Mom--I'm old enough to decide whether they fit or not." Yikes -- another assertion of independence! I looked at the label on the pants: 30x32. Another step forward into young manhood!

Later that evening, I got Hannah to go into the shoe store, to look at new shoes. We bought a pair that is a full size larger than what we bought at the beginning of the school year, a mere five months ago.

Sigh.... Nathan informed me yesterday that his coat is getting too small, holding his arms up to show me the coat sleeves inching up on his arms. I think I can actually hear him growing, and I wouldn't have it any other way!! Joe and I are truly blessed with two healthy, growing kids!