Workwear Friday: Off-the-Shoulder Patterned A-Line with Slit

Does anyone own the mifold hifold travel high back booster and have thoughts? We are starting to travel a lot more with our almost 4 and almost 6 year old and I’m wondering if these are worth the investment. I loathe carrying large carseats around to travel (especially if it’s really only for to/from the airport) and my husband is fanatical about carseat safety, so I wonder if this is a happy medium.

This is not an April Fools joke, but I’m seriously considering buying a fanny pack. I think the kids are calling them hip packs now? I see this filling a hole when I bike to the park with my kid, or need a phone and cash handy but am pocketless … you get the idea.

Anyway, knowing that I’m in my early 40s and not cool in the least, what is the least offensive one I could own? I am drawn to the bright colors of Cotopaxi, but is that a bit much? I’m also considering buying a pair of Teva originals to replace a pair of old Chacos that I’ve never liked, so I guess my midlife crisis/not giving an eff is intact.

Paging AwayEmily. I saw comments too late to respond yesterday, and I’m not sure if this is what you were looking for, but at 3/4 years old, my son also expressed a very strong preference when picking clothing that was centered around aesthetic choices (dresses, sparkles, etc.). I am now about 8 years ahead of you, and my son transitioned to become my daughter about 3 years ago. It’s definitely not what it means for all kids who express this type of strong preference at this age, but it was where my kid landed.

Since yesterday was trans visibility day – I’ll share some of our story. It’s a hard, complex and tough path in many theoretical ways (the hardest part is the private conversations — “what will this mean long term”), but ultimately, if you can kind of shut your brain off to the noise and stigma, once we decided to follow my child’s lead, it was a simple path and is currently an awesome story. We are all happier today than I ever could have imagined I would have been when we first had an inkling this was the path we were headed down. I do credit today’s happiness with doing what we ultimately felt was the harder choice at your child’s age, and letting our then-son lean into what “he” preferred to wear at that point. My child somewhat walked the line of both genders for a few years (though we later found out that at school, she was telling people two years before she fully transitioned at home that she was a girl, and had all kinds of stories to explain a short haircut, etc.).

Now, I have a 13 year old who is a strong student, an athlete, and an awesome, happy, confident kid. She doesn’t spend her days feeling uncomfortable trying to make an outward appearance fit her brain. She just gets to focus on being a kid. Anyway, I don’t know if this is what you were looking for yesterday when you posted, but I recall reading something from a trans adult when I was in your shoes. It basically said, “don’t worry – follow your child – I’m so much happier than I ever could have imagined when I was a confused kid, and it’s not as hard as you think.” If we can be that voice for one other family, I will feel like I paid it forward.

Dress for the job you want, amirite? Happy April…