So second grade started on Monday. No big deal. Wyatt kept asking why I cared so much. They're just seven. It's just second grade. No big deal, Mom.

And Wyatt was right, it was no big deal. Old hat. Been there, done that. Get off my back and just let me go to school, Mom!

In fact, the biggest deal was probably their first-day-of-school-outfits, which I want everyone to know had absolutely nothing to do with me. I could have given a shit about what they wore on the first day of school just so long as they were clean and didn't smell like stinky belly button lint. Stephen, on the other hand, laid down the parental law over their clothing selections. Now, some of you might think this is out of character for an easygoing, laid back fellow like Stephen - but you'd be wrong.

You'd be wrong because Stephen has a tendency to get hung up on random particulars like clothing or hairstyles. For example, and speaking of hairstyles, through the entire spring Stephen was adamant that the boys not cut their hair. He would not even entertain the idea that they have short hair. He was (and still is) growing his hair long. Long hair is cool. Long hair is counterculture. Long hair is alternative (but shhh, don't tell Stephen I told you that, he's so far beyond the hipsters). And by God, his boys were going to join him in his long hair statement!

I know. I suspect you're confused, but it's true. His preferences make no sense and Henry and Wyatt will just have to learn how to deal with it. But really, it could be worse. He could insist that they learn how yodel or learn how to recite the alphabet backward, which could really benefit them in the long run because we all know that that skill might inevitably come in handy. I hope not, but I am a realist.

Anyway, on Sunday night, when the boys were laying out their first-day-of-school-outfits, Stephen insisted that they wear "nice clothes" rather than their standard graphic tees. Short story long, this caused some problems because they don't have any "nice clothes". Nope, they've got a lot of graphic tees from Old Navy and the thrift store. Which is totally fine! Has anyone ever seen the thrifted shirts in Stephen's rotation - he's got no room to talk! No room!

Anyway again, Wyatt ended up wearing a collared shirt from last year and Henry ended up with a graphic tee purchased within the last two weeks but only because I cut off the sleeves of the other two "nice collared shirts" for the Tour de Fat (maybe I'll find the time to write about why) and because I told Stephen that Henry would be too hot in both a long sleeved shirt and long pants (it sounds like common sense but the more I hang out with Stephen, the more I realize just how smart I am).

Really, I need to wrap this up, so the take home here is that, as parents, we are inconsistent and make no sense. Second take home, my boys are beautiful regardless of their clothing and I love them a whole bunch. Third take home, husbands are silly and we should not pay too much attention to them, especially when it comes to fashion. Fourth take home, Stephen and I have successfully made it this far and we are just as proud of ourselves as we are as proud of them.



Side note: Henry currently has short hair while Wyatt has long hair. Henry got a haircut in June. For practical reasons, Henry had been asking for a haircut to remove the hair from his eyes since mid-March. In June, after both boys came home from the Boys and Girls Club confused as to why other children kept asking whether they were boys or girls, I took Henry to the nearest beauty school for a trim - but not because he was being made fun of! At the same time, Wyatt was given the option of cutting his hair but chose to stay strong, like his dad.

And that's that. Happy new school year!!