L'esclave de la mode

I could hear a key being slid into the door's keyhole. Koko, with his short, spikey, heavily gelled hair emerged from the front door. He was wearing a pair of trendy denim jeans, a red sweatshirt over a white, slick, short-sleeved tee-shirt and a pair of red rubber shoes that he obviously put on to match his top. He was holding a cell phone in his left hand and wraparound sunglasses with his right; wearing his heavy, bulky backpack over both shoulders.

He just arrived from school.

I was still in bed when he left for school this morning, I had a sleepless night and was only able to doze off at around 5 a.m. so, I was half asleep when he gave me a kiss and didn't see exactly how he was dressed today.

So?

He's growing up way too fast and It is quite noticeable that he has learned to be more careful about his looks. He spends half an hour in front of the mirror every morning. And that's ok, I just find it normal. Problem is, he's also becoming obsessed with designer labels. He's definitely not a spoiled kid but he would sometimes pester me to buy him branded clothes. He has a tendency to wear nothing but branded ones, and this is what I noticed when he arrived today from school. And this is not good.


It is apparent that most kids these days are esclaves de la mode ("fashion victims" or if I'd translate it literally, "slaves of fashion") and I'm afraid that my son is in the process of being one, unfortunately. He's only in secondary school and most of his peers are the same, I can't help but notice the way they're dressed, there's even one who looks like David Beckham, with his trendy hairstyle, earrings and all.

Like any other parents, my husband and I, from time to time, love to see our children in fashionable clothes. So, every once in a while we purchase them signature ones, especially Koko, when he makes good grades in school. But to break the bank or make serious sacrifices in order to meet their capricious demands is a definite no-no. My son and I have been having a repetitive scenario at home lately: his "Please..." and my "No, you don't need it, money doesn't grow on trees, if you really want it then save up for it.".

As for the cell phone, I don't mind him having one as it lets us stay in touch with him at almost all times. He's responsible enough to have one and I need the security of knowing his whereabouts at any given time.

There are lots of things I never had as a child or things I feel I had been denied in my teen years but that doesn't mean I'd let my kids expect instant gratification for their slightest caprice or whim. No. Like most things it's just a question of balance. Although I sometimes feel guilty when I said 'no' to him, I know I just want him to grow up as a reasonable person who understands the value of money and just giving him the confidence to be proud of who he is rather than to be proud of what he has.

Bof!

It's been a while since my last update. It's because my Mac broke down (?). It won't turn on. I don't know ... it just slipped into a coma and showed unwillingness to be awaken from its unconscious mode. I just got it 9 months ago. My husband gave it to me as a Christmas present. Sheesh! If only he could understand every word I say, he'd protest. "Yeah of course,' a x-mas' present, you bet!", I can almost hear him saying that. Ok, a "forced" x-mas present. I told him I wanted to blog and I needed a computer. Euh, please don't think that I was acting like a capricious, materialistic brat. No, far from it, not my style. It's just that he's got a desktop but it wasn't and still not always evident for me to use it as his job requires long hours in front of his computer screen. His computer actually spends its time calculating illustrations and he only shuts it down, almost always, after midnight. So I got 'sick' of waiting till he's through with it before I could use it. Since I'm not difficult to please, I told him that I could go for a small-time brand, an el cheapo laptop would do. So after several "I beg yous" and "You won't regrets...", boy I was surprised when I got up on Christmas morning to come upon a sleek, smooth, white, 14-inch portable computer with its apple logo on the cover, in my undies drawer. Eh oui, of all places....

Since the damned laptop is still under warranty, it's now being fixed, having the defective part replaced, without charge (I hope).

But It's been ten days! I'm starting to feel the boredom creep in.

There's one thing that bothers me a little. I have a friend who's a computer technician. He repairs PC's. But according to him, laptops aren't supposed to be fixed by technicians as they're very nasty to repair ... and very costly! So if a laptop needs fixing, a technician is not allowed to open it because laptops are generally built with proprietary hardware specific to the manufacturer so it should only be done by the place where it was purchased. My husband brought it back where he bought it because it's still under warranty. But what if it's no longer under warranty, how much will it cost us? I'm also afraid of what-would-be the result, dismantling a nine month-old laptop could be sooo bad. Now I can see and feel the inconvenience of having one of those state-of-the-art machines.

As I write this, hubby's on the phone talking to the person responsible for the reparation, the man's informing us that they're still waiting for the mainboard or motherboard (whatever, I have no idea what that thing is) they ordered from the US. Phew! Isn't that great?

No wonder mp3 players, ipods, or up-to-the-minute digital cameras don't interest me, not at all. I don't even own a cell phone...