Some mornings!

Man, this morning was a rough one! Alex’s kindergarten class was supposed to dress ‘cowboy’ today. No big deal, right?

Oh yes. Big deal here at our house because my son cannot STAND the idea of dressing western. Loathes the idea. Why, I don’t know, but he does.

I set out his clothes this morning and when he spotted his pearl-snap cowboy shirt on the bed, he instantly started whining. It wasn’t like I laid out boots, spurs, Wranglers and a hat. Or even a bandana. Just a simple pearl-snap shirt that he uses for days at Grandma’s farm. I learned this morning that while that shirt is just fine for the farm, it is absolutely unacceptable for public wear.

“My friends will laugh at me!” Enter tears. Lots of tears. Then arguing and anger. And then more tears.

So….do I back down and not make him do something that makes him uncomfortable? Or do I insist that he go against what he believes in and participate?

I made him wear it. I did it so he would learn that acting ugly and rude about something isn’t going to change my mind. And so that he would realize that in life, we just sometimes have to follow the herd. And so that he knows that as a student, you do what your teacher says. And as a child, you do what your parents say. And that’s that.

I hated to send him to school after a morning like that. It’s just sad. But Shayne said once they got there he was okay with everything and it was business as usual.

At the moment I’m sitting here with a bowl of Cheerios trying like hell to NOT think about what the teenage years will be like.