My nephew Grant was easy -- my brother Scott said to get him "anything Star Wars." But my nieces Gabi and Nathalie were a little more challenging. Nathalie just entered middle school, and Gabi likes Star Wars but is also a bit of a fashion queen. I didn't think they'd appreciate two-sided light sabers as much as Grant did.
So I wracked my brain until I came up with the perfect present -- gift cards to their favorite clothing store, Abercrombie & Fitch. They wear lots of cute t-shirts and sweatshirts from there.
I headed to the mall, and found the store on the directory. I walked inside, taking in the cool vibe and displays. Then I stopped short and sucked in my breath -- there in front of me was a giant poster of a couple of half-clothed high schoolers intertwined. It was a fairly intimate pose, and it shocked me a little bit, because I was shopping for my young nieces. I don't usually see images like that in children's clothing stores!
I walked toward the cashier. Along the way, I passed more attractive but scantily clothed models. I was beginning to question my brother and sister-in-law's judgment -- is this really where they take their kids to shop? It certainly didn't seem age-appropriate.
And it surprised me because Scott and Mary are super protective of their girls. My brother says the girls can't even date until high school, and when they do, prospective dates must first meet with him. He'll take them to the shooting range to show them his accuracy with a gun, and put a little fear into them.
I found the gift cards at the cashier. They came in cute little blue fabric books. But when I opened them and saw this, I almost had a heart attack:
Hey, I'm all for my nieces liking cute boys -- but Nick Jonas or Robert Pattinson is really more their speed.
"Do you have any...um...other gift cards available?" I asked the cashier.
She shook her head, then smiled at me, and winked. "Isn't he hot?" she asked."He is," I agreed. "And I would be thrilled to receive this card with him on it. But I'm shopping for 9- and 11-year-old girls."
She instantly stopped smiling. "Oh! No, we don't have any others, but you can buy some at the Abercrombie kid's store."
I exhaled deeply, relieved to hear there was a separate children's store. She directed me to it, and when I entered, I breathed again with relief. Giant posters also lined the walls here, but they were filled with cute kids who were fully clothed. The gift cards themselves were also more appropriate, with the profile of a young boy smiling sweetly. It was all completely innocent, and any doubts I had about Scott and Mary disappeared completely.
Geez, who knew birthday presents for my sweet little nieces could be so unnerving? And who knew gift card shopping would make me so thankful for having a son?? Mark's clothing choices are very specific -- he refuses to wear anything short or skimpy. And today, I am quite grateful for that...
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