I don't think I was much of a "clothes-y" kid. (I didn't say I wasn't a clothes-y teen, preteen, tween.) And my mother can correct me, but I don't think as a young child I had "issues" w/ clothes, i.e. "that ITCHES," "I don't want to wear thaaaaat," or simply changing my clothes as often as my "character" changed. I played dress up, but I did that in "dress up clothes" -- old nightgowns, hand-me-down dance costumes, my mom's bridal veil -- and I think I usually put 'em on OVER my existing clothes. I'm pretty sure one of the pix of me playing bride has me w/ a tu tu on my head, wearing an old ballet costume atop a pair of jeans and brown turtleneck. In short, I don't think I was such an obsessive clothes-changer that I gave my mom much grief in the laundry department.
My brother was a cutely, obsessive "clothes-y" kid. His characters changed often, and so did his clothes -- Bo Duke, skateboard dude, cowboy w/ guns and a scowl, Mr. T, BMX dude, scuba diver w/ duct taped "tank" -- and his costumes were homemade and elaborate. (And those costumes don't include me and my girlfriends dressing him as BOY GEORGE!) His everyday clothes had to "do right," and his athletic shoes had to lace and "bend over" just right. (Remember the shoes w/ the flap that covered the laces kinda like golf shoes?)
And I hear tales of pre-schoolers emptying their closets to construct the right look for themselves and their imaginary friends. This would be one of my biggest nightmares. The other nightmares being little boys who resist using the bathroom OR ask that I serve them Popsicles alongside their powdered donuts for breakfast. Oops ... that last bit is true ...
The Big One didn't express an interest in his public wardrobe until he was about 6 (and he's 8). He would rather not "dress" for Halloween and, while he had imginary friends and endless make-believe occupations, DRESSING was never a part of it. He's low-key and low-maintenance -- and his closet is always in tip top shape.
The Short One showed me today that I may need to stock up on laundry soap.
He has his office clothes that he loves so very much. But, today after I dressed him respectably, he asked for his "pretty clothes." Since we were going to be out and about, I asked him fearfully if he meant his "office clothes."
"Nope. Pretty clothes."
And, w/ that he headed to his closet.
He returned in the above apparel, to which the picture does no justice.
He was LAYERED to the point of puffy ... and, I suppose ... pretty.
In order from skin to surface ...
1. You can't see the first shirt -- a white tee.
2. The white tee you CAN see.
3. His blue "muscle shirt" -- a hysterical sleeveless "compression" fabric top that accentuates lots of tummy and no muscles ... yet.
4. His navy blue baseball jersey.
5. The gray "bicycle" shirt.
You also can't see he has on TWO pair of shorts.
His soccer socks.
The most remarkable thing? They are all on RIGHT SIDE OUT and w/ tags tucked in. He later added ONE MORE PRETTY SHIRT.
As he bathed at the end of the day, I went to his closet to re-hang the "middle layers" of his pretty clothes and discovered he'd pulled ALL his long pants off hangers and into the closet floor. I guess he forgot his shorts were in DRAWERS and was just looking for something SHORT in the closet.
We had a lesson in hangers.
I can only imagine what will happen when he takes an interest in his HAIR!
