Clothes - Why do I bother?

Okay... so part of being a mom is dealing with clothes... buying clothes, making sure clothes fit, cleaning them, etc.

Sometimes I wonder why we bother dressing children.

Seriously, I mean, what's the point? They get dirty if you just look at them and they only want to wear maybe one outfit, which they have to wear all the time, or they refuse to be dressed so you pick your battles and only make them be dressed outside or when you leave to go somewhere because it's not worth it.

Doodle is one who really makes me wonder. Okay... this boy has NOT wanted to wear underwear. I couldn't figure out why. Well, today I finally got to the bottom of it... he's outgrown all his underwear and never said a word. His shorts and pants are getting tight, too. This boy will wear clothes until they are ready to explode off of his body and never complain about it. I just don't get this. Sometimes I don't know if it's the Aspergers or just him.... since some kids on the Autistic Spectrum are so fussy about their clothes.

Of course, he hates the idea of having to get new clothes. He finds some pieces in what I buy him that he likes (and we stick to the styles he prefers, which are t-shirts with no collars, no buttons, etc., and jeans (he hates khakis). He's so my son... I was the same way... I liked t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jeans... that was it.

So I have to buy him more underwear... but I'll still have to make sure he actually wears it... ugh.

He would be happy if I just let him wear the same outfit every day and just washed him in his clothes to get the grime off once a month. He hates being bathed, hates changing his clothes, and he hates being naked.

He does, however, love his shoes. Sure, he's picky, but when he picks out shoes, he'll wear them till they're outgrown and he'll tell ya soon enough about it and pretty much wear them out in the process. He gets excited when you tell him which shoes he gets to wear. I'll tell him, put on your sneakers... I don't have to tell him anymore that he must wear socks... he just says... "yay!" and gets them. I'll tell him to put on play shoes (canvas loafers at our house) and he'll ask me.... "do I need socks?"... cause that depends on the weather.

Sandals he is iffy about these days, though. He doesn't like his foot exposed so much... but when it gets hot enough... he's the first to be thrilled and grab them.


Then, we have The Bird. This child... he attracts dirt and grime the way honey attracts flies. It cakes on him. And he hates being dirty. Not only that, but he's still wetting the bed at night, so he has to change when he wakes up sometimes. The Bird is obsessed with clothes... they must be just so, his hair must be just so, and his shoes must be just so. But this child hates socks. He's reached the age where he wants to do it all himself and socks are posing hazardous.

He's also the child who will, on a whim,change his outfit just because he wants to. So, in a day, I may easily go through 3-4 shirts and 2-3 bottoms for him. He loves underwear. THere was no thrill like it when he found out he was able to wear boxer briefs just like big guys do (I require poop training for such undies... for reasons I will spare you.).

Now Roo is my nudist. She started taking her clothes off around 1yr old and didn't stop. Now she's sort of growing out of it. However, if she soils herself and you don't change her and redress her immediately, you will have a child who deposits her clothes in the dirty clothes and then is hard to get redressed.

There are times when she will get on clothes to go outside or to go somewhere and the moment you bring her back in the house, she strips.


So... wouldn't it just be easier to let the children run naked and take out the hose when they need cleaning? Probably would be.

And yet, I continue to buy clothes, force the children to wear them, and then, when they are dirty, wash them.

Oh the insanity!