Whats new about you

Summer is here and so is the shopping season. It feels so light and sprightly to be able to go out of the house without grabbing the coats and the feet are no more hidden in socks but can really see the light of the day.Although the start of all seasons is a time to lighten the wallet and stack up the wardrobe – come winter we are short of warm clothes and come summer , where are those whites and pastels. For me, shopping starts with the youngest member , my son,once his closet is touched up in the right places, the honor goes to the tall child, Mr Hubby and the last and the least comes me.And this is tactfully handled by him- C’mon you look dazzling in the old ones too, in anything you wear,just as beautiful skin needs no makeup – this is a tagline from one of the cosmetics line, I forget which, which is used adroitly to mollify me.
But I am not writing this one for me being the underprivileged , this is about something else, although my grudges just keep sneaking in, as always, however hard I try. So this Saturday, I shopped for my 4-year old – new sneakers and socks and underpants – the ones with The Reverend Mr Spiderman, His Highness Buzz Lightyear and Sir Bob the Builder.And Monday he was adorned in his new things, bouncing and ready for the day.Picking out his clothes for the day is a pleasure which I reserve for myself and would never want to share with his dad , partly because I love doing it and partly because he will miss something that’s important to me – like the warm undershirt on a cold day or the full-sleeves on a windy day or he would wear shorts all through mid-winter.I remember something from Indian 98.3 FM radio – ‘Sweater aisi cheez hai jo maan ko thand lage to bachhe ko pehna deti hai.’
This is one of the truest sayings I have come across and why not, whats wrong with doing that.
Digression, diversion – coming back to that Monday,we reached the preschool and soon as he entered the classroom, his teacher exclaimed-Ishaan, something is new about you, let me seeeeeeeeeeee(to add dramatic touch)- ‘Yeah , its your shoes, right’!!
Ishaan was happy at that singled-out attention from the teacher – the queen bee- and said – ‘You know what else is new about me –my underwear’ and he started pulling down his pants .
Stop, she doesn’t need to see that, I chided and the teacher took her hand to her wide-open mouth – in exclamation and embarrassment –‘ Never trust a boy’, she said.
And we winked at each other, while he was surly at not being able to flaunt his underpants.