I wanna be cool!

Every night as the kids go down for the night, I lay their clothes out for the following day. I've developed this as a habit, not only from my mom as I was growing up, but out of necessity for the morning routine. They're climbing into bed and I'm placing their clothes strategically at the foot of the bed. It really speeds things up in the morning and it helps stave off arguements about who wants to wear what when we should be heading out the door.

Tonight, as I was performing the ritual, I laid out Hayden's jeans. I checked with the "weather man" for the next day's forecast and chose a long sleeved shirt to accompany those jeans. I approached the head of the bed for a kiss and hug and he stopped me short.

Hayden: "What shirt did you get for me?"

Me: "Your red one with the sports balls on it."

Hayden: "Well, can you please let me wear a cool shirt?"

Me: "A cool shirt? I thought that one was cool. What's wrong with that one?"

Hayden: "Nothing, I just really wanted to wear a cool one."

Me: "Well, which one is cool?"

Hayden: "Well, is my Bains Gap one clean? It's a cool one."

He was referring to a shirt he has with 'GAP' on the front. Already he's enamored by the brand name items and he's only five years old. The funny thing is, he called it his 'Bains Gap' shirt. 'Bains Gap' is the name of a road near our house. We take this road often because it's a quick shot to Anniston over the old Ft. McClellan. My little man is more aware of his surroundings than I take notice, huh?