I find that it is difficult to blend the practical fashions of being a mom with the fashion my husband would like for me. My husband is awesome and would never say anything disparaging about my looks or body, but occasionally he has mentioned that I could dress a little sexier and I know without him saying so that he prefers long hair. But last night it occurred to me how much these two roles I play conflict - that of being a wife and being a mom - well, at least in terms of fashion.
Mom Jeans: I am proud to say that I do not own a pair of mom jeans, nor do I ever plan on purchasing a pair (can you even still buy them?) But I do see the allure of a high waist pair of jeans. It makes me crazy to sit down at library storytime, knowing that there is a good probability that someone behind me can check out what color my Victoria Secret hipsters are. Mom jeans would prevent this. But then again, if I was wearing mom jeans, no one would probably care what color my panties are. Ew.
Low cut shirts: Listen, I don't know what it is about children and men but neither population can seem to keep their hands off a mom's chest. At least my husband saves that for private situations (really hoping my parents aren't reading this one...) but my boys have no such worries. Both of my boys, when they were little, would reach down my shirt in church or at a restaurant. Whoa kiddos! The day you stopped nursing was the day that area became off limits. I guess they didn't read the memo - of course at that age, they weren't reading yet so maybe this was my fault. Anyway, a button down shirt or sweatshirt or t-shirt all seem to alleviate this problem, but don't fall into the fashionable category. Practical, yes, sexy, no.
Nighties: I worked at Victoria's Secret during college and collected a lot of knowledge and bought a lot of items while I was there. I have a whole drawer full of super cute pajamas that are wonderful if I'm going to stay warm under the covers all night long. But I have learned a rule since I've had kids: the less material in my pajamas, the more I will be up with the kids during the night. Seriously, this hardly ever fails. I will throw on a full pair of pants and long sleeve shirt to go to bed. Pete will look at me like I'm crazy, but really, I just want a full night of sleep. And you know what? I'll get it. The one night I put on satin, I will be up 6 times, freezing as I rock whoever is awake.
Long hair: Do all men love long hair? I kind of think so. After I had the Moose, I cut ALL of my hair off and went with the spiked look. I was postpartum and about all I could manage was incredibly short hair. Actually, it was kind of cute. But one day I decided to grow my hair long again. And right now, it is really long. And it takes forever to dry in the morning - you know, that time of day when you have tons of time to get ready for work and get the kids out of bed and to their respective schools. And your kids will accidently pull it, usually every time you are watching a movie with them and finally sitting down to relax for the day. Or, as I found out last night, they will puke on it when their children's grape motrin makes them gag. I think the last time my hair was puked on at 2 a.m. was when I did it and the circumstances were WAY more fun. If I had had short hair, I would have just gotten puke on my shoulder, which oddly feels way more tolerable.
You always see those celebrity moms walking around in heels with their kids (there's no way I could sprint in a pair of heels), wearing super low cut jeans, with their hair blowing in the wind. Heidi Klum has 3 or 4 kids and just gave up modeling for Victoria's Secret. Is she wearing sexy jammas to bed or does she have a pair of flannel pjs too? For now, I'll continue to wear normal jeans and long hair. And sometimes I wear something less than a full sweatsuit to bed or unbutton an extra button on my flannel shirt. I guess trying to maintain some semblence of youth is worth a little groping by a 2-year old in McDonald's and the occasional barf in your hair. And I bet Heidi Klum wears sweats and pulls her hair up when she's with her kids all weekend too.
