Oribi Mom: Let there be tails, the world needs tails
May our children be able to follow their hearts, even if it leads them to chasing their tails for a little while.
The other morning my almost-four-year-old bounded off to school with his little ‘tail’ wagging behind him. I laughed out loud at the sight of those little drawstring tassels sticking out below a too-big backpack as he looked forward to the morning at preschool so eagerly. It’s his new thing – making a tail – and every pair of pants with a drawstring at the waist is now worn back-to-front so that he can be a puppy, a cheetah, a T-rex, a monkey, a fox, or any other creature that’s captured his imagination.
It takes all my self-control not to comment or try to dissuade him from this silliness. My hands reach out to help him rectify the mistake but something else reminds me to stay silent.
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My heart sings when I think of that confident little boy galloping off to another adventure with his backwards tracksuit pants, bright t-shirts, and ‘fastest running shoes’ ready for anything. Soon, he might discover that the world likes it better when colours match and clothes fit the mould. Eventually, he will figure out that ‘duck feet’ isn’t the most comfortable way to wear gumboots. He’ll see stares and bear the whispers, coming into an awareness that conformity is sometimes easier.
When did I lose the nerve to walk around with my tail or crown or a glamorous set of wings? How did my love for ‘busy’ clothes fade into safe black shirts that don’t show my fat rolls? When did pink-and-orange daring turn into monochrome? I don’t remember now, but we still have a lot to say looking at childhood pictures of the most ridiculous ensembles.
How could our parents let us go out like THAT? We shrug and laugh, embarrassed or amused at how time has changed how we look and how we feel.
Will my sweet, happy son change the way he chooses outfits when he blows out that extra candle in a month or two? No longer a fierce dinosaur with a long, swishy tail; only a shy boy with smart jeans and socks that match the day’s colour scheme? I hope it isn’t too soon. I hope he spreads those imaginary wings and shrieks pterodactyl noises until the cows come home.
God-willing, I’ll be here, watching him figure it out. May our children be able to follow their hearts, even if it leads them to chasing their tails for a little while. The world needs tails.
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