You're wearing THAT?!

My husband jokes sometimes when I share the inspirational parts of my life with Jared that he will then follow my excerpt with the "real story"...you know the times that I lose it because I'm trying like heck to have Jared see it my way, when he has no intention of ever doing that.  I never said that having a child with intellectual disabilities is always a picnic; in fact, I think that today, I'll share one of those "real stories".  Jared's fashion sense, like that of many other teenagers, is not always understood by people, ok, mainly, by me. There are times that I want to bang my head against the door because Jared insists on wearing something that is so out there, so hard to understand. Shirts that are too big...jeans that would fit a boy twice his size... I know that it shouldn't matter, that Jared is Jared and that no one really cares if he doesn't look perfect.  That's my hang-up, and I'll admit it.  But it drives me crazy! I'm sure it's me trying to protect him, but I'm also sure that I fall victim to the micro-managing that often accompanies a parent's busy life.  So, sometimes. I've actually had a certain shirt, go missing...you know, when Jared goes to look for it, I sit there, feeling a little proud of myself and a lot guilty as I picture the offending shirt with the stretched out collar and the "Rubbin is Racin" slogan displayed prominently on the front, tucked strategically in the very top corner of the hall closet... And, just the other day, the following words actually left my mouth as I looked at one of Jar's latest outfits: a tight sweatshirt, with nothing underneath it and the zipper open exposing his chest: "Where do you get your fashion sense, from the Red Light district in Amsterdam?"  Jared replied by looking at me blankly. I stomped out of the kitchen and into the livingroom, only to find my husband practically rolling on the floor, silently laughing at my verbal craziness. "That might have been the funniest thing I have ever heard you say in all of years that I have known you."  I was half way up the stairs when I burst out laughing myself! It's so funny the things I try to control when it comes to Jared. I don't know why I get hung up on his clothing choices; perhaps I never will.  The best I can hope for is that I can relax and realize that he's ok, that it doesn't really matter if he wears the ripped XXL New England Patriots shirt...around the house, that is....