Generational Gap

Every generation has a different idea of what looks fashionable.  When I was little, bell bottoms and halter tops were popular.  Hair was long, especially on men and most males sported facial hair as well.  In the 1980s, big hair was all the rage, and everyone rolled up their jeans to show off their Vans.  Because I realized long ago that fashion was for the young, I never really got too caught up in how my children dressed or what they thought was popular.  Thus, when Cameron called to tell me that he was thinking of painting his nails, I wasn't surprised at all.  My only response was to wait until he did not have an interview coming up as it may not be Kelley school appropriate, but otherwise it sounded good to me.

I know that not every parent would feel the same way that I do, but I always figured that unless it was a permanent change to one's body, there was no reason to get all jazzed up about fashion.  Cameron has definitely pushed the envelope with his appearance more than any of his siblings, but that was to be expected.  He was the youngest and had attended a fairly liberal school.  Long hair, earrings and now painted nails didn't surprise me.  Fashion had become a lot more gender neutral than even ten years ago when Brett was in college.  Males do not have as much problem showing their feminine side and Cal had already pointed out that both Caleb Williams and Miles Rice had painted their nails as well.  Meg did have one suggestion - paint them a neutral, dark color such as black, brown, navy, etc.  

This weekend, Cameron sent me a picture of his new olive-green nails.  Cora had painted them for him, and they did look very nice.  She had already given him tips on how to keep them from getting chipped and I reminded him that they would take some care to keep them looking nice.  I realize that not everyone will think that his new fashion statement looks great, especially those in the older generation, but overall, I like Cameron expressing himself in a way that makes him feel good and does not cause harm to anyone.  That is what is most important.