FashBlog.com

By Christina VanGinkel

Do you have a little sister who is always stealing clothes from your closet, or are you the unfortunate parent who has to deal with a sibling 'borrowing' clothes from another household member? I have been there, done that, and thought I was all through with this possible scenario. That was until my youngest son at the rip old age of thirteen has grown to a proportion that he easily fits into his father's clothes.

Imagine my surprise when my husband asked me where one of his favorite sweatshirts was and I had no idea. That was until I walked into my son's room and saw it on the top of his laundry hamper. I found out later he had worn it the day before, taking it to school in his backpack as none of his own were clean. Not a big deal, until my husband suddenly went for a pair of clean socks, and to open his brand new pack of boxers that I had just purchased him a few days prior. His socks were there, but his pack of boxers was open with two pair missing. This time I immediately went to my son's room, and sure enough, one of the missing pair of boxers was right there on top of the laundry hamper. Apparently, he was wearing the second pair, which we confirmed when he arrived home from school. His answer when we asked him was straightforward. His clothes were getting small, again, and he figured his dads might fit. They did, so he wore them.

When teenagers borrow clothes, they often do not have a clue to the fact that their may be infringing on someone else's personal property. To them, it is just clothes. Now, if you were to go into their closet and 'borrow' their favorite sweatshirt, it would be a different story, but kids just do not think that way. They think in one direction. What is theirs is theirs, what are others is theirs!

Back when my two older children were teenagers, one boy and one girl, you would think they had nothing between them that the other would want to wear, but they did. My daughter was forever borrowing her brother's sweatshirts, along with the occasional t-shirt. He would raid her closet of any white t-shirts that she would buy new. She played basketball, so would purchase a new pack of men's Hanes shirts every so often to wear beneath her jersey. They fit just loose enough to be comfortable. He seemed to know when she would buy a pack, and inevitably, he would borrow one or two. From this, war would erupt.

I have a friend, with teenage daughters, who are only two years apart in age, and they are almost identical is size. She said that some mornings when they are getting ready for school, it sounds as if world war three has erupted. They both borrow from each other without asking, and neither sees that their own borrowing is wrong. Just when it is their item being borrowed, is something amiss.

I am glad that my time of referring those days is ending. I do not think I could live through two teenagers again, a son and husband is bad enough. Then again, that new sweatshirt my husband just bought sure would look cute with my new hiking boots and jeans!