The start of the love for fashion - age 2

I have been using the late evenings to shop on-line for Christmas presents.  I used to love to hit the malls and the stores for presents, and probably still would if I had a spare day, but anymore I am lucky to be able to sit down with the newspaper to read one article.  Jon left for Maimi (Florida, not Ohio, the bum!) on Tuesday morning and the kids know that such an event means they get to stay up way later than with Jon is home.  They also get to set up camp downstairs in the family room with their blankets and pillows and fall asleep after reading books and watching some tv. 

Maria typically makes it until about 9:30 or 10.  Then I look over as I work on my computer and see her mouth wide open and her eyes half mast (she sleeps with her eyes slightly open – yes, way freaky!).  When I look over farther to my right, I see Mario. and  he is anything but asleep.  He is usually doing cartwheels or banging his two power rangers together or still focusing intently on the tv show.  And he is showing no signs of being tired.  He stays up with me until 11 pm most nights.

Last night, I sat hunched over on the family room floor with the computer in front of me searching for the perfect shirt for my stepmom, Meg.  I would never believe how hard it is to find a “dressy” knit shirt but alas, life can never be easy!  As I stared at shirt after shirt, I began to sense the presence of a tiny little man behind me.  I looked around and Mario popped his head down to avoid me finding him.  We played this game a few times when finally Mario stayed at my shoulder and proclaimed “Mom, look at that shirt with the stripes; Grandma Meg would look pretty in that one!”  This started a round of discussions on what shirts would look best on Grandma Meg and me.  Numerous models reminded Mario of me (what can I say – I still got it).  Mario fixated on stripes for Grandma Meg and at one point, tiger stripes (no, Meg, I did not concede on that one!).  He was a miniature Tim Gunn from  Project Runway.  He pointed out shirts that were just “plain ugly” and others that had real style.  He had definite opinions, much more so than I did. 

We’ve all known that Mario has some impeccable fashion sense. Ever since he was a young lad, he has been obsessive about the clothes that he wears.  Now that I see his interest and opinions in women’s knit shirts, I fret that he has been secretly making fun of his mom – who has no tolerance for high fashion – for years.  He probably whispers to all of the preschool girls as I walk out the door “yeah, I love my mom, but I can’t wait to dress her one day!”