My kids | Coffee, Clutter and Chaos

Why do young folks sag their pants? My top 10 reasons!

I work with teenagers and young adults.

I live with teenagers and young adults.

I hang out with teenagers and young adults.

I actually pride myself on the fact that I can speak their language and tend to “get” them, (for the most part). I like hanging out with them. In fact, I find myself thinking about my own teenage-hood when I am hanging out with them.

My kids don’t read my blog and for that I am often grateful. After all, since they don’t read the blog I can bad mouth them, talk shit about them, generally smear their names, or I can tell things about myself that I don’t necessarily want them to know.

So, back to my original point, which is that I feel that I “get” them for the most part. I have learned not to share too much about me, but am able to get them to open up about themselves. They seem to trust me. And even though my 19 year old always said I was the “best nag” about his homework when he was in high school, I NEVER embarrassed him in front of his friends, or gave him a hard time about his girlfriends. I am one of those adults who believe that teens can experience true love, and have NEVER said to a teenager, “You don’t even know what love is”. Of course they do. They have the same feelings adults do, to the extreme in many cases. They fall in love. They care for each other. The fastest way to stop your teen from listening to you is to tell them they don’t “really” love their girlfriend or boyfriend.

And even though I “get” young people, there are still many things about them I don’t understand. Many things really haven’t changed from when I was a teen and young adult, (drinking, partying, hanging out with friends, staying up too late, driving too fast, making reckless decisions, falling in and out of love) but there are also quite a few things that are different (technology, technology, technology). And this! This trend that I have seen for a few years, mainly among young males, although I have seen a few females engaging in this behavior as well. What is it?

Sagging their pants!

This is behavior I just don’t get. I mean, really, I just don’t understand why they do that. I can’t even tell you how many times I have wanted to walk up to the young guys I see on the campus where I attend college classes and say to them, “Listen, I know I am a middle aged white lady who just really doesn’t get it, but could you please tell me what it is that goes through your head when you get dressed in the morning, and choose to put on your pants, and then belt them around your thighs?”

What is attractive about this?:
Is this sexy????

I am a gal who wears my pants at the appropriate place on her body. Which for a plump, middle aged woman is waist high or thereabouts. No low riders for me……..no ma’am. I have a hard enough time keeping the muffin top under control as it is.

But back to the matter at hand…which is why do young men wear their pants so low? Do you remember the old Letterman top 10 bit? Well I have developed my own list of:

Why do young folks sag their pants? My top 10 reasons!

10: They just have too much junk in their pants (i.e. well endowed) and they need more room for things to “spread out”, shall we say….

9. They have just spent lots of money on VERY cool boxers and want to share their amazing undies with the world.

8. The are working on their arm muscles, and having to reach down and hitch up their pants every two steps while they are walking is a mini workout.

7. They have a new amazing belt, and think if they belt their pants around their thighs, you will have more opportunity to see it.

6. There was a super clearance sale at the Big and Tall shop, and they just couldn’t pass up a good bargain, even if the pants are three sizes too big…

5. They received hand me downs from a much larger person, and just couldn’t refuse accepting and wearing them.

4. They have recently lost LOTS of weight and therefore their pants don’t fit properly anymore, and constantly fall down.

3. They have decided they are taking a stand on running, they are just NOT going to do it, hence the low pants…(you can’t run in those things even if you needed to.) People who need to make a fast getaway do NOT wear saggy britches…….Just sayin’……

2. They have decided to boost the economy in their later years by ruining their hips now (have you seen the wide stance walk they have to use to move in their way too big pants), so they can spend money later on things like walkers, canes, etc. to get around.

and the number 1 reason men wear their pants low:

1. They are overheated and just need the butt and nut air conditioning…….

I have to say that I did do some research on this topic, (so I could point out to my sons where it really started), and found that the long held truth that this is about men showing their sexual availability is WRONG and is just a myth. The myth is that this started in prisons so men could show they were “available” for some “attention”. NOT TRUE! However, the style is related to prison garb, which is usually too large for inmates and they are not allowed belts, so they have to constantly hitch up their pants. Then some hip hop and rap artists took on the style as their own, and young men, (particularly young urban men) started copying the rappers they admired. Some cities have banned the style, and at my son’s high school “sagging” is not allowed, and you can be sent home if you can’t conform to the dress code.

And who can forget General Larry Platt:

So youth of America, listen to the General!!

Why this 50 year old woman plays Pokemon Go!

As soon as the Pokemon Go app launched I immediately downloaded it and began looking for Pokemon in my neighborhood when I walked my dog in the morning. I was so excited about catching Pokemon! However, when I shared my excitement with other adults I know I received comments such as:

“What a waste of time.” and”That is for kids.” and “Really?”, and some even laughed at me.

There were a few adults who were joining in the festivities as well, and with them we talked about what we had caught, and where, and which Team we were on.

When I talked to kids about it, we discussed the best Pokeballs to use, or the proper way to spin the Pokeball to catch the Pokemon. We also talked about where we were finding them, and which were our favorite Pokemon.

So I am going to tell you Why this 50 year old woman plays Pokemon Go.

I have had a blast playing Pokemon Go, but I will tell you a little secret: there is a much more compelling reason for me to play: my boys.

So when Joe Cool and The Genius were boys they were avid Pokemon players. They played the games on their Gameboys, they watched Pokemon on TV, and we even played the Pokemon card game together. We spent quite a bit of time in the car together, going to daycare, driving home from daycare pickup, doing errands, etc. I was a single mom for quite a few years of their young lives, and the boys and I were together a LOT. Pokemon was an integral part of their lives (and mine because I was always looking for new card packs for birthday, holiday, etc gifts for them).

As they got older Pokemon in our lives went to the back burner because girls, and school, and jobs, and life replaced our Pokemon phase. However, I will say that even into their teens they would play Pokemon on their iPOds and devices.

So when Pokemon Go Launched I felt like it would be a fun thing to do with my boys who are now 19 and 17. Because they are 19 and 17 I don’t see them much. They work, hang out with friends, and spend a LOT of time in their man caves (bedrooms). I thought, this could be fun to do together. And boy was I right!!!

Last week we all got into my car and drive 45 minutes to go to Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach to hunt Pokemon together. We were at the park for about 90 minutes together and then had a 45 minute ride home. It was fun, but what was even BETTER was that I spent over an hour in a car with my kids, and we TALKED!! Nit just about Pokemon, but about other stuff like their jobs, and friends, and relationships, and their goals, etc. (I slipped as much mentoring in as I could without being too “mom-ish”).

AND I walked enough to hatch a 10km egg and received:

Oh, Joe Cool was so jealous!! hee hee

Yesterday I spent ALL day with The Genius. It didn’t start out that way. In the morning we dropped his car off to have the headliner (the upholstery on the roof of the car) fixed. Then we wanted to go to Norfolk to play Pokemon for a bit.

We walked around together, took a couple of gyms together (GO TEAM MYSTIC). HE will do anything to take a Valor gym…..(if this is greek to you, just ask and I will explain). Then we found the MOTHERLODE of Pokemon.

We came to a place called The Pagoda and Oriental Garden . It was a beautiful place right on the water, which was nice because it was HOOOTTTTT and there was a breeze. Anyway, there were 4 Pokestops there (places where you can get Pokeballs, revive potions, healing potions, and other cool stuff), and TONS of people playing Pokemon because there were modules on (a lure someone can turn on for 30 minutes to attract rare Pokemon).

OMG!!!! We stayed there for at least an hour…maybe more. We caught Squirtles, and Magikarps, and Poliwags, and Seels, but the most exciting catch of the day was a Dratini

That is super exciting because it evolves into a Dragonite which is one of the most powerful Pokemon!

Isn't Dragonite cute??? — Isn’t Dragonite cute???

I was especially excited to catch a Clefairy because they are special Pokemon, but I REALLY REALLY want a Pikachu!!!!

The boys and I have made plans to hang out next week in Norfolk catching Pokemon together! Maybe we will catch a rare one!

So you can scoff at my Pokemon Go playing, but I will stick to my belief that not only am I catching rare Pokemon with my boys but I am catching RARE quality TIME with my boys that I probably wouldn’t otherwise get without spending lot of money on a vacation. And even on vacation I don’t always see them all the time.

Thank you Pokemon Go!!

The Genius and his bestie D came up with my name...apparently that is what they call me LOL — The Genius and his bestie D came up with my name…apparently that is what they call me LOL

Jun, 2015

My son’s recent purchase of comfy shoes at Reef!

I am a woman who is a mother to three sons. My sons are aged 20, 18, and 16. Of my three sons I have one son who loves shoes. In fact he owns about 10 to 15 pairs of shoes, and his favorite types of shoes are canvas sneaker shoes. He also loves flip-flops, but the canvas sneakers are his favorite. He has purchased many different types, but he only buys and wears shoes that are “comfortable and cool looking”, although to be honest I think comfortable is more important to him than looks. If he has a pair of shoes that looks amazing, but hurt his feet he won’t wear them. One of his friends told him about Reef shoes, and he has become a huge fan of their shoes. He likes them so much he spends his barista pay on them pretty frequently. Did I mention he has between 10 and 15 pairs of shoes?

In fact he bought this pair of Deck Hand 2 shoes to wear at said barista job:

And he bought this pair of Reef Chipper sandals for when he heads to the beach:

Not only are these shoes comfortable, they are affordable.

But what he (and me too to be honest) really likes about Reef is the fact that they have so much more than just shoes to choose from on their website. For guys they have board shorts, shirts, tanks, sweatshirts and jackets, shoes, sandals, socks, beanies, and accessories. For girls they have boots, sandals, and shoes. They even have shoes and sandals that are for little feet and many of them are designed with a strap on the back to keep them from slipping off of little guys and little girls feet.

My oldest son has always been a “skater” dude and Reef is a great place to buy him the clothing and shoes he loves. However, their clothing line for guys is not just designed for skaters, but men can also choose from casual lounge shorts to shorts and pants that would be perfect for hanging out, going on a date or business casual. That is why Reef works so well for my family. With three boys living here with three different styles this is a place where I can shop for all three of them at one store. I am sure many moms have experienced taking their kids shopping and having to go to many different stores to get just one or two outfits. Reef is definitely a place we can do “one stop shopping”.

Another great feature is the locator for where you can purchase Reef clothing locally to your area. I know for my kids, trying things on, and seeing them in person is very important. While Reef doesn’t have a store near me, I can still purchase their clothing at 4 separate retailers within 15 miles of my house. That makes it very convenient, and even if we still choose to shop online, we will at least have had an opportunity for the boys to see, and try on some of the clothes they like. Most states have stores where you can purchase Reef items locally, but if not, they do provide FREE shipping on orders over $75.00 and FREE on ALL returns.

So if you are in the market for cool, affordable sandals, shoes and clothes for your guy or gal, or even for yourself, check out Reef, and I am quite sure you will find something you love!

Category Archives: My kids

Jun, 2015