Plaids & Stripes

When Brett and Cal were younger, I made sure that all of their outfits were colored coordinated and even went to the trouble to make sure they matched with one another.  They never complained and I felt a sense of pride in how they looked.  That is until one day the three of us were watching the Jimmy Neutron Movie.  In one scene all of the parents are abducted by aliens and the children are celebrating their new found freedom by over eating and running in the streets.  A boy starts chanting, "I'm outside and my clothes don't match . . ."  Cal looks at me and says, "That's me, Mom!  The first thing I am going to do when you and Dad are abducted by aliens is wear red shorts with my red shirt!"

I laugh now when I think of that comment so many years ago.  I have to say that at the time it was a lightbulb moment for me.  For the first I realized that my children are not for show.  Since that time I have worked hard to back off making them do things just to appease me.  Unless it is an important occasion I do not have any say in how they dress.  When someone asks about their unusual attire I always say that I am just happy they are clothed with their teeth brushed and where they need to be.

So when Cal came downstairs last week dressed for his first varsity golf match with his striped green team shirt and plaid shorts I had to laugh.  He said he thought it would confuse his opponents.  Must have worked as he played well and even got his picture in the paper - stripes, plaid and all.  Tonight's attire was red shorts with his green shirt.  I can't complain about that either as he was easy to spot on the course.

So if you see any of the mismatched Heinisch children around town, know that they are proud of their style, and that there is hope for them yet.  Brett and I went shopping for PROM and his Academic Hall of Fame dinner last weekend.  Brett was able to pick a vest and tie that matches Anastsia's dress
and did a lot better job then I matching his new dress shirts with color coordinated ties.