retribution

There Jonah and I are scrambling to get out of the house running late for an appt we have to tour a preschool.
I ask him to get his sneakers, he returns proudly holding his rain boots and sits down for me to put them on him. Its not raining I tell him, you need to wear your sneakers not your rain boots. He is adamant, he will be wearing his rain boots today.
I begin to argue and then stop myself in my tracks. What am I doing? Me of all people telling some one what they should or should not be wearing. Making fashion choices for some one else.

The yrs of arguments my mother and I had over what I was wearing and I swore up and down that I would never NEVER do that to my child. I would let them wear whatever they wanted to, I would respect their individuality, I would embrace their creativity and self expressionism. And yet there I sat on the bottom step with my son telling him that he couldn't wear his rain boots because its not raining.

I immediately put down the sneakers, called my mom, let her gloat for a second and then put on the rain boots. He happily strutted out the door in his green boots covered in pictures of bugs feeling proud that he made the decision about his footwear.

I hope that is the last time I ever try to tell him what to wear. Who do I think I am?