Farewell, friend

Beloved giraffe shirt.

I had to help Leah break up with an old friend recently.

After she found it in a gift bag of blue-themed birthday presents, they were joined at the torso every Monday for years. Their relationship started to fray recently, and I realized it was time for the blue giraffe shirt to go.

Easier said than done. Leah has zero interest in fashion, but she cares deeply about clothes. When her age was in the single digits, I bought her the same blue Gymboree turtleneck in multiple sizes because it came in a shade she loves above all others. In middle school, after she started doing her laundry independently, her preference for routine led to a weekly clothing schedule. Her system is easy, predictable, involves minimal daily decision-making, and works for me, except when a much-loved shirt needs to retire.

Unfortunately, love is blind. Leah doesn't appear to notice fading, or care about the shrinking that happens after multiple washes. Her patience for shopping is minimal; I often rely on online retailers and my ability to guesstimate her size. I gladly accepted when her awesome school team, with their solid track record of convincing Leah to try new things, offered to take her on a shopping trip to Old Navy. Leah picked out several tops and bottoms, including a cactus t-shirt she was particularly excited about. Once the acquisition phase was over, however, Leah appeared to forget about them, happy to own new clothes, but not inclined to wear them. They sat, neglected, first in their bag and then folded in a spot where she couldn't miss them.

While Leah may not abide by the fashion rules that dominate the lives of most teens, she is willing to comply with my rule that outlaws wearing clothes with holes in them. So I nudged her toward change by using a pin to transform a worn spot on the giraffe shirt into a noticeable hole. While it might not good for a mother to interfere in a relationship, I decided interference was warranted in this case. The new cactus shirt stepped in, and the giraffe tee is enjoying a well-deserved retirement. 

New clothes.