Sunglasses error is perfectly normal

I tell this story not because you, the reader, really cares about my son’s eyewear, but rather because it’s a glimpse into the reality that is, well, life.  And try as we may, life is everywhere and no matter who you are, you’re aren’t alone.

Also, it’s a shout out to TV sitcoms, may they rest in peace.

The word “sitcom” is really just a shortcut to two long words: situation comedy.  It basically means that we could flip on the television in the evening and put our feet up and watch some other family do stupid stuff.  And we’d sit back and laugh and get popcorn during commercial breaks and think say things like, “geez, they are something else!” or more likely, “see, dear?  Our life is normal!”

But TV sitcoms are few and far between these days, with the birth of reality television, which, c’mon, isn’t all that real after all.  Somehow, producers think we would rather stare at people eating jungle plants or going crazy living in a house of strangers than laugh at our own plain, boring lives.

Fortunately, there’s still a few sitcoms holding on, and even some that are family friendly enough for my kids to watch.  Which is just what makes this story so funny.  In a recent TV show, the dad took the son clothes shopping and accidentally purchased him a shirt from the girl’s department.  The boy then wore the shirt to school, was ridiculed, and in payback made his father wear a women’s shirt to bowling night.  Classic humor, and it didn’t go unnoticed by my children who revel in slapstick comedy and large men with floral flowing blouses. 

So sure, it was funny for them, and it was funny for me.  But it doesn’t compare to the hours of laughs we got because of that episode coupled with a recent trip to the store...

To set the scene, we were out and about and it was very sunny.  I try to equip my family with sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun, but they are notorious for losing, scratching, breaking, or somehow completely destroying them.  The last pair of sunglasses I bought my son were about as cheap as they come, which is good because right at this very moment, they are laying at the bottom of the Colorado River, just south of the Glen Canyon Dam where the water is always a balmy 47 degrees.  He owned them for two days.

So when it came to purchase him another inexpensive pair, I rushed through the bargain shelf at the store to find something comparable.  Sure, there were sporty looking glasses and tough-guy looking glasses.  I wasn’t sure which ones to choose until I came across a pair of camouflage shades which I knew would be perfect—no one, not even the duck hunters on reality television shows, wears as much camo as my kid.  Quickly throwing them in the cart, I smiled because I knew he would just love them.

He didn’t.

In fact, the first words out of his mouth were not “thanks, mom, these are awesome!” like I had truly expected.  In its place I heard, “uh, mom?  Why did you buy me women’s sunglasses?”

In my mind, I saw green camo and thought they would have a masculine flair.  Instead, there were little metallic decorative studs that were situated in exactly the same place as they were on his sister’s glasses.

I tried to smooth things over, tell him that they weren’t girly and certainly looked nice on him and boost up their camouflage power.  But from the instant he put them on, I couldn’t say a single word with a straight face.  Just like the TV show.  Our silly little story is the same is theirs, proving that our crazy is really just a taste of normal.

And just like the show, there is payback involved.  So if you see me walking past wearing some children’s camo sunglasses with decorative metal studs, don’t wave.  Just giggle.