Pull Up Your Pants!

A Struggle Against Fashion Norms

There used to be a page on Facebook titled Pull Your Pants Up, You Look Like an Idiot. Now, I’m not one of those people who “Likes” Facebook pages simply because they exist; I try to be a little more discerning. Sure, I’ve been tempted to “Like” them – people create and “Like” these pages because something resonates. For example, there was the Cookie Monster page (titled Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom) – that brought back fond memories of Sesame Street, my childhood, and the early toddler days of my own children. Not to mention, I just love cookies. And I totally related to any of the many pages about Chocolate (who doesn’t?) or one of my favorite TV shows. However, I only laughed and showed them to my kids. But Pull up Your Pants! You Look Like an Idiot!– now there’s something I’m passionate about! I “LIKED.”

I’ve got to admit that my boys aren’t as bad as some of the kids I’ve seen around the neighborhood. I’m sure you’ve seen them, too – underwear showing, pant waistline sagging low around the hips, and sometimes even completely below the butt. Usually beltless, but sometimes the kids who wear their pants really low use a belt to keep their pants from completely falling to the ground. You would also recognize the shuffle-walk. In order to keep their pants up, these kids have to walk like a penguin, swinging each leg out, one at at time, to keep the “waist”line of the pants taught so that they don’t fall down. Honestly, it looks ridiculous, and isn’t at all practical. I’ll bet chiropractors everywhere are raking in the bucks!

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One Smart Teenager

Can a Teen Get Away with Doing What He Wants?

As a parent, it is always interesting to hear my child’s perspective on life, the universe, and everything. Our family has dinner together almost every night, and occasionally a real gem of a conversation emerges. The following conversation with my elder son took place the evening before my younger son was to have several friends over for a birthday party.

The meal began quietly, so to spark some conversation, I asked my son, “What are your plans for tomorrow?”

He shrugged and answered simply, “I do what I want.”

This type of comment from a teenager will nearly always make a parent’s eyebrows rise. Mine were no exception. With eyebrows high, I responded, “Really?”

“I always do what I want,” was the bland response, as he took another bite.

My fork hovered mid-air, and I thought for a moment as I swallowed. After a brief pause, I asked, “So — tomorrow, during your brother’s birthday party, when I ask you to take a team of 11-year olds around the neighborhood for a scavenger hunt, you’ll do it because you want to, right?”

Without missing a beat, he looked me in the eye and replied, “I want to do what you ask me to do because I don’t want to get in trouble. Therefore, I do what I want.”

No further response was required, but I did give him a quiet high-five and enjoyed a good chuckle for the rest of the meal.