I begged Matthew to stop doing whatever was causing the holes in the knees. He stopped.Later, much later, I found out he lost a girl over it. The holes were proof of fun and proof that Matthew really is Toothless the Dragon or a leopard.
I told him not every girl liked Toothless and that some girls even liked boys with hole-less pants. And then, I bought him new jeans for a new school year.
I bought new jeans for Travis too because this year he started Kindergarten. He's ready.
He can tie his own shoe and write his own name and make new friends and feed himself. Every day I see his face change and grow and sparkle. And I wonder if I'll remember a time when he would cling to my leg and close his eyes so no one could see him.
Makayla bought her own jeans because she can. She started the 8th grade this year and she walks herself to school and back home everyday. She also brushes her new braces and makes her own lunch and uses her own house key if I'm not home. She is a marvel and a wonder and a joy to behold.
We kept a pair of Matthew's holey pants in the closet, but he chose not to wear them to school the first day. But he did decide to wear a belt around his waste area not in the loops. (As seen in the photo below) This was the first and last attempt at this new fashion idea.In 3rd grade the children were instructed to sit boy-girl-boy-girl on the first day, which increased Matthew's chance of finding a new girlfriend this year. As I left, I could have told him to use his wit or his kindness or charm to find her, but instead whispered that I didn't mind whether or not his pants had holes.
