Besides the little girl’s birthday party and the half marathon challenge, last weekend included a lovely shopping expedition with my one and only son, resisting the camera’s gaze above.
Our mission was to finally choose his birthday present, long overdue. How overdue? Well, I’m not going to be specific, but, um, he’s a Leo. You do the math.
What? We’re all busy people, and although he also lives on Vancouver Island, he lives in a city 90 minutes and a picturesque mountain pass away whereas our other three (non-Islanders all) live in a city a similar distance (albeit requiring a ferry ride) away but where we also own a home (and have a granddaughter). So when I heard he was going to be over for the birthday party, I booked him for a wardrobe-enhancement mission.
After arranging to meet Pater at Nuba for lunch after the shopping was done, we headed out for some prime Mom-Son time. After all, this is what I do well, the shopping, and although he and his dad might have fun together at a basketball game, I’m a much more amenable companion when new shirts, sweaters, and jeans are the order of the day.
Our first stop, at The Gap because they had 40% of everything in the store, taught us how ill-suited we would be to events like Black Friday’s shopping mania in the States. The line-up at the cash desk snaked around the merchandise, at least twenty customers long. We immediately agreed that only a spectacular deal would make us brave that and a quick scout of the crowded store with its tired display of lacklustre offerings sent us right back out to Robson Street.
Where only a few stores down, I suggested heading into Plenty. Son knew the store already as a favourite of his GF, but he didn’t realize they have a guys’ section upstairs. Score one for Mom, the Knowledgeable Shopper.
What a difference! Once upstairs, the boy quickly spotted some favourite brands: Jack and Jones, RVCA, Penguin. Concentrating on shirts, cardigans, and jeans, he loaded up and headed to the dressing room. One helpful but not in-our-face Sales Assistant. Other customers wandering in, sometimes as many as three or four others. A spot for me to sit while I waited outside the change room. But no ugly crowds, no lineups. No big sales discount either, admittedly, and the pieces chosen were not cheap.
But I think they look great, although Mr. Avoid-the-Paparazzi could have strutted his stuff a bit more co-operatively. We picked up a fabulous shawl-collar wool cardigan by Penguin to tuck away under the Christmas tree, but the birthday gift is shown below: cardigan and shirt, both by RVCA — isn’t that a beautifully-muted plaid?
Sometimes geography really pisses me off! I’d love to have my Son and his lovely GF living closer, so that we could see them more often. He and I were the last ones left at home when the others had moved out and Pater was working way across the country in Ottawa. Son used to bring me tea in the morning to wake me up, and then I’d make him the breakfast non-McMuffin that got his day going. I miss the chance to have some time together, just the two of us and wish we could do it more often. Boy’s got good taste though — that could get expensive! Maybe geography’s not such a bad thing.
He's quite handsome mater!
Looks good in the new clothes too…and nice that you could do some mother /on shopping.
Black Friday would be sheer maddness…I popped into the Gap aon their 40% off day (to find some clothes for grandbabay Isla) and took one look at the line and ran away as fast as I could!
Enjoy the weekend!
Snow is melting here and things are warmer!
What a cutie! That's so nice that he went shopping with you. I hope my kid still wants to go shopping with me when she's a grown up. Of course, if I pay, something tells me the answer will be yes. 🙂
He's a handsome one! I'm glad you all got some time together.
We don't see much of him, around your blog, so it's a treat for us, too! There is a long stretch when most boys would rather have thumbscrews applied than shop, it's quite something to see them become young men and grow into their handsomeness.
The young man has good taste!
Hostess: Thanks! I think so too, but I might be a wee bit biased.
I'm relieved to have the weather warm up and also to have the rain dispense with the snow so quickly. . . you too?
K: Yes, I never seem to have problems finding company if I'm bringing my wallet along . . . although none of them are greedy and they do try to be pretty independent.
Nancy: Thanks. The time together is always a delight, especially since we don't have it that often.
Duchesse: It really is a treat, isn't it, to watch boys become men! This guy's been a homeowner already for coming up to two years, and so is very careful about his shopping — fairly frugal but with quite particular tastes. We skirted the edges of his shopping tolerance — he enjoyed the time we had in the one store, but declared himself done once we got outside, only stopping in one more store to see if the shoes he'd been thinking about were on sale and available (sadly, altho' on sale, his size was all gone).
Terri: He really does and has had since quite young. Luckily, he's satisfied with a few good things rather than a surfeit of mediocre.
Isn't he a handsome boy! I hope one day my son will come shopping with me – at the moment, although he won't wear anything I buy without his approval, he'd rather stick needles in his eye than shop for clothes …
Tiff: Mine has never been that averse to shopping, but I've always had to listen to the imaginary clock ticking in his head . . . and to include a pitstop at his favourite fast food venue as incentive.
As well, we've been lucky to find one-stop shopping rather than trudging through malls or even department stores — the local, independently-owned skateshops have always been our friends, and they carry surprisingly good quality, generally ethically produced and sold by cool, friendly young people. Of course, the challenge on my part was always trying not to embarrass; the challenge on his was trying to tolerate the inevitable embarrassment.
I love the idea of you and your son spending that special time together – I could see this happening with my youngest when his brother flies the nest. P.