About Mom Jeans

Let me tell you about mom jeans. Mom jeans are loose around the thigh and tight at the ankle. They have a high waistline and small back pockets that sit almost as high. So let me ask, what is wrong with mom jeans?

Mom jeans are not flattering on any figure. They make your butt look wide and flat while they turn your legs into tree stumps and your feet into long, skinny boats. The waistband sits so high, your belly fat bulges over the top, also creating a shelf-like area for your sagging boobs. And you better watch out, because if you pick a shirt that's too long, it will cover the back pockets, leaving your backside seemingly pocketless which begins a whole new problem you then need to deal with because pants with no back pockets are the mother of all mom jeans. While this may all seem like a huge fashion
no-no (one in which we all try our best to avoid) the truth is, I have made the choice to wear my mom jeans with confidence and pride.

First and foremost, I chose to embrace my mom jeans the first time I put myself in second place. Although I am not quite sure when this happened. Maybe it was when I fell in love with Dustin. As I promised to try putting his needs before mine. Maybe it seemed easy because I knew we would over populate our house with gorgeous children, or because he cares about me so much that he would still love me even if I had a wide flat butt, stump legs and boat feet.

Maybe I put my mom jeans on when we decided it was time to start our family. Was it when I felt her move for the first time? Or when I heard her cry? Was it when she opened her eyes the first time she heard my voice? Maybe the next time I had my mom jeans on was when someone took her hospital hat off and I saw her dark hair and it matched mine. Was it when I had to be tough home alone with two kids all the time, even when the power was out? Or what about the time I got out my cute jeans to go away with my first love on a trip, I came back to my mom jeans waiting for me folded nicely on my bed, telling me how much I had missed out on while we were gone. Maybe another time I donned my mom jeans was the day Rylin asked me if baby brother in my tummy was sick like grandpa's baby calf who was born dead earlier that day. I strapped on my mom jeans and cinched the belt as tight as I could when I told her that our baby was just fine. I pulled that belt even tighter around my gut as I felt like I was lying to her even though I had no idea what was going to happen four weeks later. Maybe I saved my best mom jeans for May 5th. They were the acid wash no-back-pockets kind. With a bedazzled belt to tighten around my muffin top and tuck my Hanes brand t-shirt into with the sleeves rolled up. Yes, those were the ones I saved for May 5th. I needed those for the hard days. The days I needed my bedazzled belt to hold my insides together. The days when the cheesy Hanes t-shirt held my heart in my chest because I felt like it was left out in an incubator to be shattered at any moment. Or maybe it was the day when the neonatologist told me bluntly that our baby was in the process of dying when he was born. Maybe it was when I didn't even cry when he told me this because I knew how true it was.

You know, we all have a time for our best mom jeans. Maybe you pull them out when you do all you can to get your dream job in another city, only to find out you didn't get it. Maybe it is when you bring your baby to get her first shots when she screams as she stares into your eyes because now she knows what it feels like to be hurt. Maybe it is when you go on your first date together since the birth of a wee babe and you leave your baby at home in safe hands. Only to get to the restaurant, hear another baby crying or playing and want to run home to your own baby. Maybe it is when you never get to bring your baby home from the hospital because he only lived a few minutes, and all you are left with are a few pictures and maybe a blanket from the hospital. Maybe it is when you have to pretend like you aren't afraid of the dark because it's a secret you don't want the kids to know about you. Maybe it is when you have to leave your kids at home while you go to work. Or is it when you take her to kindergarten the first time, maybe when she walks away like she is so tough but you know how fragile she really is? Or when you see her eyes fill up with tears because she's scared but doesn't want to cry about it, she's too tough to cry now. Maybe it is when you get a huge needle shoved in your spine in preparation to have a baby, or maybe it is having a baby with no needle at all. Maybe it is when you vocalize what you believe is right for your children, only to be shot down by another person's opinion. Maybe it is when you sit by your child in a hospital bed, wondering how sick he will really get and what will happen, then crying instead of sleeping. Maybe it is telling your friends what you believe, hoping that someday they will believe it too. Maybe it is when she climbs into your bed with her purple pillow and snuggles on down without you even noticing. Or maybe when you did notice but decide you don't mind the warm little body taking up the whole bed because you know these days don't last forever.

I found my mom jeans a long time ago. I still find new pairs every once in a while. I am sure I have some hand me downs from people who are important to me. My favorites are the levi's from my mom. I believe we all need to use our mom jeans to our advantage. Swap our favorite kinds and share our bedazzled belts. Most importantly, don't forget about the acid washed pair with no back pockets. They will always be in the back of your closet for the really rough days. Don't be ashamed to pull those out when you need them.