I walked the kids to school today. We were surrounded by shiny new shoes and pristine clothes too warm for the current weather.I had a pang of guilt over last week's decision that they didn't need any new clothes. They don't need any new clothes. They have more than enough, even considering how rarely I do laundry, and they're all in good condition.
But new school clothes is part of the childhood experience, and now, year after year, I am denying my kids of it, because we have lucked into a few good hand-me-down gigs.
My kids seem oblivious to most material things, including this, so maybe I should just count my blessings and sign off this post. But sometimes kids seem oblivious to things, but are really keenly, internally aware.
Or, maybe I'm sending a much more important, lasting message, of priorities that rank clothes, money, shopping, and all that goes with it on the bottom rung?
But, oh dear, there was a pinch of guilt.
2 comments:
You don't need to feel guilty. My kids didn't have new shoes (or clothes) for school either. I'll shop when the weather is cooler if their shirts and pants really are too short.
When I saw a kid and his mom sitting down in the hallway getting out the band-aids for the blisters he already had from his new shoes, I knew I'd made the right choice. You did too.
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