 |
I saw a sweet young neighbor girl walking down the
street to the mail box this afternoon. I
know her mother. I know she works as a
single parent to feed and clothe her kids.
I know when she gets home from work and sees her sweet young girl in a
pair of cut off jeans; she is going to go postal all over her.
 |
| tryabiggersize.blogspot.com |
From experience with my own in their teen
years, I knew when I saw her, she had cut off a new pair of jeans to make
shorts for the summer walk to the mail box where the boys hang out. She is going to be pulling weeds in her yard
and babysitting all summer for the next pair of jeans she gets. So sad!
Too bad! She will learn the cost
of the pair of jeans I am sure she begged her mom to buy. She may even learn that her mother considers
everything she buys to belong to her and not to her little darlings! She
will learn not to destroy things that she didn’t buy. She will learn that cutting and stretching
and bleaching and rock rubbing of jeans to look cool is something you do when
you can afford your own clothes to ruin.
| raghouse.com |
I was never the cool mom. I was always on the cusp of broke. A pair of acid washed jeans cost $75 in the
day. A pair of non-distressed jeans cost
$7 to $15 when new. A pair of thrift
store jeans cost less than $4. Thrift
store jeans are new to you so they are new.
If my sons wanted worn out jeans, they wore them out. If they wanted to look like the other kids,
we bought a pair of thrift store jeans and experimented.
 |
| blog.denimtherapy.com |
A pumice stone from the bar-b-que grill
rubbed on the high spots make the wear marks that were the fashion. If we tied the jeans as if to tie dye them
and scraped them with the stone, we got acid washed. Relaxed fit meant buy a pair larger and take
in the waistband. Soft stoned jeans
meant we washed the pants four times in heavy detergent and then soaked them
over night in a strong fabric softener.
The day I was shown the price tag of a new
pair of gunshot jeans I almost loaded my shotgun with menace in my heart and
considered the time it would take to get to Paris during fashion week! I was crazed!
I have a shotgun! I have buck
shot! I have a sense of humor! I do not
have a wallet that allows $129 for a perfectly good pair of sturdy denim that
has been bleached, scraped, cut and put out of its misery at close range!
 |
| www.shotgunjeans.com |
I have seen fashions come and go and I
know that is the definition of the word trend.
I have heard the best arguments on behalf of the latest trend and I have
held to my position. There will be no
money wasted on a trend and when it has passed, I will have fed my children
every day and paid my bills on time. The anger or angst of a teenager holds
little sway with me. My strength has
paid off in the long run. We have lived
long enough to look back and laugh at the trends. I have lived long enough to hear my sons say
what I said. Earn your own fancy jeans,
make your own fancy jeans, or do without the fancy jeans.
Do the math. One pair of new jeans from the mall
multiplied by the number of children in the home equals how many meals for the
same children? How many dehydrated food
packs for the prep closet? If the new
pair of jeans come from the big box store or discount department store, what is
the savings to you? Can you make or fake
the new trend and give happiness to the little fashionista and keep your money
focused on the future? Can you suck it
up and let the little angel cry it out and make a better day to come with the
saved money?
The mom just got home! The lessons are about to begin! I need to turn up the radio!
No comments:
Post a Comment