It’s not what you wear, it’s that you’re there. Let’s face it. It’s true for us all. We have that day at work where your clothes just feel too tight all day and all you want to do is get out of them and into something more comfortable when you get home. Most days, that can be the baggiest pair of sweatpants or pajama pants or shortest shorts you own. And don’t forget that ratty T-shirt that you’ve owned for who knows how many years and has so many holes that it wouldn’t even make a functional cleaning rag. But you wouldn’t even think about throwing it out because it would be like throwing away your child’s favorite toy. A tragedy of epic proportions!
Well, last week, I had one of those days. I spent the day driving to what felt like every point in Bowie County taking pictures, interviewing and just doing the job I absolutely love. But when it was over, I wanted to shed my work clothes and just relax and unwind. However, my day wasn’t quite done. I still had one more thing I needed to do … attend my son’s spring concert. I couldn’t attend in my regular lounge clothes, but there was no way I could spend one more minute in what I had chosen to wear to work that day. So I pulled out my favorite pair of comfortable jeans and a t-shirt.
What’s wrong with that, you may ask. Well, my most comfortable jeans are just like that shirt described above. They are tattered and torn, old as the hills and just the most comfortable jeans, if you can call jeans comfortable, that I own.
I swear these jeans are the exact pair they based The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on. It doesn’t matter what my size or how my weight fluctuates, these jeans are always the perfect fit. And I have been everywhere and done everything in these jeans – rock concerts, motorcycle rides, ball games, you name it.
As we drove to the high school, my son in his black slacks and white button down and me in my tattered jeans and t-shirt sans makeup, I apologized to him for how I looked. (I would normally not attend one of his events looking that ratchet.) We joked about it in the car. But to my heart’s surprise, my son said the most profound words ever.
“Mom, I don’t care what you look like or what you wear. I just care that you’re there.”
Let that sink in for a moment.
With Mother’s Day in the rearview and Father’s Day on the horizon, the gifts and cards with sweet affirmations are great. But we as parents are seen by our children every day. They see us working hard to provide for them. They see us on our best days and on our worst. They see us being there for them and encouraging them to be the best of themselves. But they see us.
They don’t care what we wear. They don’t care that we wait too long to get a haircut, or our roots touched up. They don’t care if we put on that extra five pounds and have a little muffin top. They don’t care that we embarrass them in the car by singing too loud and dancing like fools.
They care that we show up for them and support them. For birthdays, school plays, sporting events, band concerts, field days or talent shows. Whether they are the star of the show or just playing a supporting role, they look for us among the crowd.
So the next time you are stressing about what to wear to that event your child is participating in, remember … It doesn’t matter what you wear. It matters that you’re there.
