“No One Should Lose Sleep Over My Son’s Pink Socks — I’m Certainly Not”
You’d think I planned it. I had my son exactly two years after my best friend had hers. The result is a steady stream of hand-me-downs that I adore.
I love them because my friend has great taste, but it’s also so special to see my little boy in things I recognise from when her son wore them.
It’s sentimental, sustainable and free — everyone’s a winner.
It might not have been this way if either of us had a daughter, instead of a son. Then again, most of what both boys wear is pretty unisex. But what if it wasn’t?
One mum who didn’t let gender stand in the way of the hand-me-down train is writer Kristen Winiarski, whose son loves to wear his big sister’s clothes, as she explains: “Now that my son is two years old, he tries harder to imitate his sister. She’s the one who he looks up to, so when she outgrew her pink socks or purple pajamas and gave them to him, who was I to say no? Why would I? Just because they weren’t “traditional” boy colors?
“Handing down clothing from one child to the next, regardless of gender, is economical and eco-friendly. I’m not saying that everything his older sister wears works for him, but some of it is totally fine. If he wants to wear pink socks, who cares? He’s two-years-old. I don’t think it is a big deal.
“I’m not going to give him her old dresses or skirts. I don’t see a reason for him to routinely wear skirts since he has plenty of other clothes. But when he wants to play dress up with his sister, all of that stuff is fair game.
“Even though I buy him “boy” socks, he still wants to wear the pink ones. Do I worry about his color choices? No. Or that he tells me his favorite color is pink? No.”
My own son regularly wears pink. I’ve also become irrationally attached to his ever-growing locks and can’t bring myself to cut them. Clipping his hair back so it’s not in his eyes means everyone thinks he’s a girl these days. I can’t say I’m bothered in the slightest.
Just last week I saw a young boy wearing a Disney princess dress while grocery shopping with his parents. It seems he was given the choice about what to wear and that’s what he chose. And why not? It’s just not that deep.
What do you think? Where do we draw a line? At a certain age? Or with certain garments? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
