Charlotte Latvala: Castoff T-shirts clothe you in love
If you are a youngish person pondering the question of children — yay or nay? — let me bring up a point that’s often overlooked.
Someday, your children will clothe you.
I don’t mean figuratively, with love and affection, or even sticky toddler kisses. I mean literal clothing.
I work at home (and have for 30 years, which makes the whole going-back-to-the-office debate feel strange and confusing to me, because — why on earth would you?) Anyway, because I work at home, my daily wardrobe is, er, relaxed.
As in, jeans and T-shirts relaxed. Hoodies in the fall, winter and spring. (Side note: There is nothing on earth as cozy as an oversized hoodie. Take that, fisherman’s sweaters and other high-priced catalogue goods.)
As I was lifting clothes out of the dryer the other day, I noticed a strange fact. I had not paid for any of the shirts I was folding. (And not because I’m an inveterate shoplifter.)
Among my three children, there have (so far!) been four universities, two cities (and one small college town), six majors, and five summers of expensive university-affiliated dance programs. And every time you turn around at college — any college — someone is handing you a free T-shirt.
(I use the term “free” somewhat loosely here. These garments are free in the way that the laundry machines in the dorms are “free.” In the way that seconds at the all-you-can-eat taco bar in the cafeteria are “free.” Anyway.)
“Are you getting rid of these?” I asked my oldest daughter some years back, as she was sorting her clothes into “keep” and “donate” piles. I picked up one of her university T-shirts. It was soft and cozy and oversized.
“Yep. I don’t really like that one,” she said. “Do you want it?”
Did I want it? Finding a T-shirt like this was like finding a $50 bill folded in an old book.
“Of course I want it. What else do you have?”
Thus started my second collegiate wardrobe — the first was in the 1980s. My new look consists of clothing heralding events like “Spring Fling 2014!” “Rams Football Spirit Week!” and “International Summer Dance 2017”.
In a way, wearing these shirts (even if they’re a bottom layer where no one can see them) gives me a small bit of satisfaction that we’re still getting our money’s worth from last decade’s tuition. (Yes, it was tens of thousands of dollars, some of which we still owe ― but look! I got a free T-shirt!) It’s like scraping the last bit of peanut butter out of the jar and knowing you didn’t waste any.
But there’s more. The college shirts keep my kids with me, in some small way. Yes, they are living in three different states, none of which is Pennsylvania. And no, I don’t see any of them nearly as often as I’d like.
Maybe they are clothing me with love and affection, after all. Or maybe just old T-shirts. Is there really a difference?
Charlotte is a columnist for The Times. You can reach her at charlottelatvala@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Latvala: Castoff T-shirts clothe you in love
