first day of school kidsOh, memories of the first day of school. You lay out a brand-new outfit the night before. All the way down to the shoes. Maybe you model it for your best friend the day before. To make sure it's perfect and shows everyone exactly how good summer treated you.

This is how it was for me. Every first day of school I can remember. It's a shame, then, that now I barely get my boys a new T-shirt and send them on their way.

Our hot summers here in NorCal extend well into the beginning of the school year. In other words, when school starts, it's still very much shorts season.

Since I'm raising two fast-growing boys who have high water pants every time I turn around, I'm never in much of a hurry to buy new pants before we absolutely need them. And I'm sure not investing in new Back to School shorts that may not fit by next summer.

So for the first day of school, I'll usually try to get them a new T-shirt since they wear those all year and if, and only if, it lines up, I'll pull out the next size shoes I usually have waiting.

And maybe it's a boy thing or an age thing -- they're still young -- but they totally don't care if they have a new outfit on the first day of school. And apparently for me, function is winning over fashion. So it all works out.

What about for you and your kids? Is the first day of school a casual day or a dress-up day? All-new outfit or summer leftovers?

 

Image via damira/CafeMom