Shopping with My Son

When the weather got cold a few weeks ago we decided it was time to take out the winter clothes and pack away the summer clothes.  Because of the abundance of girls in our family we rarely need to buy clothes for them except for our oldest.  Sophia and Zach seem to grow very little - or at a slower rate than most kids - or I choose to ignore they are growing! 

When we got out Zachary’s winter jacket I noticed it was a size 6/7 and the sleeves went halfway up his arms.  The jeans were not much better.  Since the children wear uniforms at school, I seem to forget about the need for weekend and play clothes.  Actually, unless they complain or whine about clothes not fitting, I forget about it altogether.

So we ventured out to get Zach new clothes and now I remember why he has so little clothes.  Zach has very little patience for the entire shopping experience.  Unlike his father, who could spend hours looking at shoes, ties and shirt for himself, Zachary would grab the item closest to him and call it good enough.  Going into the changing room to actually try on the clothes is even worse!

I am not a fan of shopping myself so I see where Zachary gets his indifference for the shopping experience.  It actually drives me crazy when the girls need to go around the entire store to see every item and touch everything.  When I go shopping, I tell the sales associate what I am looking for along with the size and try on what they choose for me.  Of course, if the first few items don’t fit (meaning I need a bigger size) I call it quits for the day and don’t buy anything.

It only took 2 stores and less than 30 minutes (counting walking between the stores) for us to complete his wardrobe.  This included a winter coat, 2 pairs of jeans (which he thought was completely unnecessary), 2 shirts and a pair of pajamas.  Now compare that to his sister where we went to 5 stores just to get one outfit for pictures.

If Zachary continues to grow at a slow rate he may be lucky enough to only go shopping every two years.  Unfortunately, I think he may start growing at a greater rate.  Since I have 3 girls, 2 of whom are very particular in their clothes, I am going to rejoice that, right now, Zach requires a small wardrobe.