Little Yellow Raincoat

My youngest son has been blessed with his brother's hand-me-downs. It's really not a bad thing since I constantly carried a Tide stick and was dabbing at T's clothes the second a possible stain would show its face. The memories all flood back to me when I see J in one of T's clothing items. There are t-shirts that are well loved because they saw many days playing in the sand box. There are sweaters whose zippers need a little more tugging from the constant practice when learning zipper skills. But one of my favorites is the little yellow rain suit.

From head to toe, my boys are glowing rays of light. As I watch J play outside in his rain gear, I see the joy of being a kid. The water droplets fall from the sky and ricochet off his coat, hat, and boots. The puddles don't stand a chance as he quickly leaves my hand to thump into the beckoning pool of water. I quickly reach for his hand but it's no use...the damage is already done. So much for the clean car...boot marks will soon be taking their place on the back of my seat like a tattoo. Once buckled in, we are on the way to drop T off at school.

When we arrived at school, all eyes stop to follow the little rainman galloping down the hallway. I hear the crinkle of the material as he squeezes past children and stops to give high fives to others. I can't help but smile at how comfortable he is in this environment. It is a sight to behold. My fingers are interlaced with T's as we walk down the hall watching a yellow hat bob up and down like a buoy in the sea. Hugs and kisses are given and the journey back to the car begins. People stop to comment on how cute my little man is with all his coordinated gear. This is a hand-me-down that I may need to pack away for the grandkids that will one day, FAR IN THE FUTURE, stomp through the puddles at my home.