Notebooks, plan books, tee shirts and sneakers

When he was younger, he rarely got near any store (or than a grocery store) during the summer; however, if we did find ourselves in a place where they would be (think CVS or Walmart), I would be firmly steered away from those back to school aisles as if they were filled with contaminated soil.   "You promised we wouldn't have to look at them," he would remind me loudly if I even slowed to notice the brightly colored notebooks or the new backpack styles.  Yet, as soon as the calendar turned to August, my own "must do" list was drawn and I began to prepare for the apocalypse, known to others as "back to school," with the help of weekly sales flyers.     

An August birthday shopping trip to Dick's Sporting Goods could, with a little luck and prayer, be morphed into a swing into the mall.  It certainly made sense to ME as Old Navy was almost next door; however, the over-priced bat-suitcase, baseball glove, or lacrosse stick would only buy me 5 minutes of browsing the crowded aisles of one store.  The moaning would start if I suggested he try on clothes.  It would grow exponentially if I made him go into a dressing room.  Then, his hallmark line would emerge and he would, with tear-filled eyes, beg to leave the store, "I know you don't believe me but I really am allergic to stores and new clothes."

These days, the tide has turned and he spends his days in classrooms (on the other side of the desk) and locker rooms.  The other day, as those sales flyers lay strewn on the counter, I heard something I never thought I would ever hear, "Want to take me back to school shopping?" he asked, half smiling, half laughing, (half joking, but half seriously, I think) at the words coming out of his mouth.  I need some notebooks, plan books, tee shirts and, of course, sneakers.  This time, it was me who had the tear-filled eyes because even though he can purchase his own back-to-school attire and even though his back-to-school attire can all be purchased at Dick's Sporting Goods, I think he might have really wanted to eyeball the notebooks and plan books at Staples.  Let's face it, the smell of new notebooks is intoxicating!!