New Kayl

Style. It is a tricky thing. It varies from person to person, and in the worst of circumstances will skip someone completely.

My son Kayl may very well be the sweetest person I have ever met. Funny, kind, and obedient, I rarely have to ask him twice to do anything. He is helpful and quiet spoken, a hard worker, and determined young man. He is very much his father’s son. Unfortunately, like his dad he also doesn’t have much style sense.

I must break in and clarify here. For the last two years, my husband has done little more than exude style. He owns as many pairs of shoes as I. A few months back he came home from a trip, emptied his closet and re-filled it with one quick swipe of his hand. He has been known to muffle the mouthpiece when I am on the phone with him just to ask, “Do you have that in a large?” Oh yes, the man loves to look nice, and he does.

His hair is always perfect. His clothes always crisp and pressed before he walks out the door. As far as I am concerned, it is a rare moment when Alex does not look “tasty”. However, he is 29 and it took him a long, long time to reach this point. When he was young, he was the typical “cut off shorts and old ratty t-shirt” boy. He wore tinted glasses and let his very curly red hair run amuck. He would wear whatever he owned, regardless of style or age. I am pretty sure up until 3 years ago he still had an old blue “netted” football shirt hanging in his closet…OOOOO, scary! Anyhow, none of that matters now, it is all behind him and he has metamorphosed into this very stylish, absolutely yummy guy.

Kayl on the other hand seems to be stuck with his daddy’s “younger days” style. He really doesn’t care too much what he wears, any old shoes, any old shirt, ripped up jeans; it is no matter to him. His only request? Clean socks without holes, nice comfortable boxer briefs, and a haircut when it reaches his ears. It’s a start.

The other day I asked Kayl what he wanted for his birthday. All of my other kids thus far have gotten new clothes this year. I figured this is what Kayl would be getting also, but decided to ask anyhow. “Oh, I want a guitar or an MP3 player.” I quietly think to myself…no problem, Al bought him a new guitar on this trip and I intend on giving him my old MP3 player anyhow…so clothes it is. Notice, he never did ASK me for them.

Then Kim comes over for dinner. Now, Kim has two teenage daughters who seem to make an appearance only when they are bored and their friends know food is involved. So shortly after Kim arrives, “Vito” (De’jana) and 4 of her friends drive up. They invade the house, eat, drink, and chill. We were all having a good time listening to their many "teenage drama" stories and swapping ring tones.

One friend in particular seemed to stand out in the crowd, J’miah. This boy is loud, funny, and pristine from head to toe. Dressed in sparkling white tennis shoes, black Dickies, a white wife-beater and an oversized, royal blue button-down shirt. His baseball cap was flat billed and slightly ajar, and his “Friday only” earrings, that his parents hate, were sparkling in the light. They are 4-carat diamonds worn in each ear, put in every Friday after he leaves the house, and removed right before entering again.

After the kids got bored with us old folks and took off, Kayl walked into the living room sporting black slacks, a black belt, and a VERY oversized white button-down shirt with some odd sort of crest embroidered on the pocket. And to top it all off the shirt was snugly tucked into his pants. Oh heavens, This boy needs help. “Ms. Kim, can you get me some new clothes like J’miah’s for my birthday?” Kim proceeded to school Kayl in the art of style. “Don’t tuck Kayl, and although the button-down is nice, you should probably try one without a crest. Always layer with a wife-beater and Randi,” she said turning to me, “the boy needs some bling.” “He is crying out !” seems to be Kim’s phrase of late. Therefore, instead of games and toys, my son is getting a fashion makeover for his 11th birthday.

De’jana and Jazmyn took the initiative and gave Kayl an online tour of clothing stores. They patiently and excitedly showed him examples of what exactly he was going to need. Gave him tips on shoes, pants, and layering, and taught him the fine art of size selection. The boy was ecstatic.

The following day he began to fill online shopping baskets with his picks. He would carefully examine each item before adding it to his basket. He was adamant about having full outfits. He even added a swimsuit. When he had finished he called me to the computer, sat me down in the chair and left me to analyze each finding. I looked, added a few things, removed a few things, approved the final basket and clicked “ORDER”. In a couple of weeks, my son should have a lovely selection of button-downs, Dickies, under-shirts, and a new ball cap (my little surprise for him).

Kim and I have discussed making his birthday into a complete makeover session, complete with new outfits (courtesy of Auntie Kim), a new haircut, some new shoes (my addition), and an ear piercing. Kayl has been begging to have his ear pierced for two years now. Alex is completely against it….which is bull seeing as how he has two of his own. Nevertheless, we will see. I’ll just have to feel the situation out a little. Maybe I’ll even get the boy a manicure & pedicure. Hey, don’t give me hell about it. I know PLENTY of guys that do it. Makes ya feel good about yourself.

Either way, I can feel the tides changing in our home. I suppose my next step will be teaching Kayl how to iron his clothes and keep his shoes blazing white (thanks Kyle for the years of knowledge). Simplicity is about to fly out the window.