Picking battles and stepping back

Quick story....  Today is Pioneer Day at school.  The entire school is involved and they are eating food from Pioneer times (well, everyone except Eli, that is - he informed me he would NOT try anything new!) and everyone is dressing like Pioneers.  Girls are asked to wear skirts and blouses, and boys are asked to wear plain pants (no jeans!) such as khakis, a plain shirt and could add a hat or suspenders if they wanted.  They're really trying to get everyone INTO it, and it should be really fun!

So we borrowed the hat and suspenders from Grandpa and tracked down plain shirt and appropriate pants and he wore his hiking boots to school too.  All was well!

Then I got the phone call this morning at work.  "Will you talk to you son please?  He's refusing to wear the suspenders."  Eli gets on the phone. 

"Hi Mommy..." near tears, whining...I can hear the verge of hysterics in the voice.

"What's the matter E...you don't want to wear your suspenders?"

"NO!  I hate them, I don't wanna wear them." Louder voice.

"What don't you like about them?"

"I don't like them." More whining, more upset tone.  Meltdown on the way if pushed too much farther.

"All your friends will be wearing suspenders.  It's part of the outfit.  Do you care?"

"No, I don't like them!"  Almost crying, really insistent.  Mom and Dad aren't going to win this battle.  It doesn't matter that the outfit won't look AS cute without the suspenders...suspenders aren't worth a meltdown.

"Okay, don't wear them.  Will you please wear the hat?"

"Yeah...I'll wear the hat."  Calmer...still whiny, still on the verge of tears.

"Okay, thank you...put your dad back on...and have fun today!"

Told Ben..."They're suspenders...they don't matter...he'll wear the hat."  Ben said okay.

So I email the teacher to let her know the suspenders weren't happening!  "So sorry!  We got the "garb" but I didn't figure you would mind if we averted a meltdown.  :)  Have a fun day!"

She writes me back: "Hi Kim!!!!  He wore his suspenders!!!! He looks so cute in his outfit. I hope Ben got pictures!!!"

Me, I sat and laughed and laughed and laughed! 

Then I called Ben..."Yeah, he decided to wear them because he decided he didn't look right without them." 

Well, how about that.  We gave him permission to not wear them, and didn't force the issue, and then he made his own decision to wear them after all.  What a kid!

How cute is he?!

Eli, dressed for Pioneer Day, 2012