I think I was in the 7th grade. Like most boys that age I was growing fast. Money was tight and we’d typically get new clothes at the beginning of the school year and that would be it for the entire year. Maybe we’d get something at Christmas but who wanted clothes?
When I went through a growth spurt, I was in a situation where the only pair of pants I had that fit me were white. For a period of months, I had one pair of pants to wear, and they were white!
My locker was next to another girl that I had in some classes. Patty was her name. She was a chatty one and always had something to say.
One day she says at that top of her lungs, “Are those the only pants you have? All you ever wear to school is white pants!”
I felt like I was gut punched because I thought she was a friend. It felt like she was making fun of me (which she probably was).
Well, it was just a pair of pants. It was petty of her to point it out. But it still hurt.
I remember telling my mother what happened when I got home from school. She couldn’t buy my any new pants for awhile. We just didn’t have the money.
She did point out one important lesson though, She said “I shouldn’t let my feelings about myself be controlled by someone else.” In this case a 13 year old child.
A great reminder.