Making the Jump to a Size 8

I wish this was a post about me making a jump to a size 8. Alas, it is about Ian. It seems funny how just about a year ago he was struggling to keep a pair of size 6 slim jeans around his hips. Whoever invented those wonderful adjustable waistbands was a genius! It was probably a mom with kids like mine who never seemed to find bottoms that fit right.

Over the summer Ian began to eat more. He seemed to grow a little plumper every day, like a little raisin that has been sitting on a drop of water. By the time school started he was a solid size 7, and by Thanksgiving an 8, with a little adjusting of the elastic straps and buttons. In December I took advantage of the holiday sales to stock his closet with warm size 8's for the winter. It made me feel good to know his body size was catching up to his age.

One morning after breakfast he headed into the bathroom. A few seconds later, in a panicked voice, he yelled, "I need help!" Thinking he had fallen in, was bleeding, or worse, I ran as fast as I could to his aid.

"What is it???" I asked with a pant.

Without looking up from the floor, he said quite calmly, "I can't get my pants undone."

At that point I realized that size 8 means a new world of clothing fastening devices to which he was unaccustomed. Button-flies. It never even dawned on me to check for snaps and zippers. He had only mastered snaps within the last year. Now I was throwing complicated buttons at him.

For Ian and kids like him who have difficulty with hand-writing, having to learn this phase of getting dressed can be a bit depressing. He looked up at me with weary eyes and said, "I want my snap pants back."

At the boys department of the store where I shop for him, the snap waistbands stop after size 7. Every brand. Every pair of pants. End of story. I know this because I looked at every single one of them. At one point, I was certain a security guard was watching me look at the flies of all these boys pants. Whatever was going through his mind was probably incorrect; but I didn't feel the need to explain myself unless it was legally required.

Eventually, I went home and got online to start my search. My old standby, Land's End, came through. They have nice looking, tough jeans and khakis with really comfy elastic waistbands! Perfect for the kid who isn't interested in tucking his shirt in and doesn't want or has difficulty making the leap from the little boys department to the big boys area. They also come in several types of shorts. Ian thinks they are really super cool. And isn't that all that really matters... looking cool in the second grade?

Another dilemma solved. I wish they were all this easy.