School Shopping With the Teenage Boys

You know when you have a vision of what an activity is going to look like and then you go about your plan and the reality of the activity becomes very different than your vision, well that's school shopping with teenage boys. I had envisioned these fun days of shopping and chatting and lunch with my boys and then the reality hit. Let me tell you about the two days through a series of dialogue.

Me: Clark, Zack do you want to go school shopping?

Boys: Do we have to go today?

Me: No not really, we can go another day.
Clark: I'm not really even sure if I need anything except some shoes, shirts, and pants.

Me thinking: Duh, you need everything!

Me: Okay we can go another day. 

Fast forward two weeks. Clark is at EFY and Zack is sleeping until noon on the last two weeks of summer. I have bought several shirts at the GAP on clearance and put them in their rooms. They picked out some shoes on an ambush shopping trip disguised as a family outing to get excited about the Olympics. 

1:00 pm
Me: Zack, we have to go school shopping for pants because the sale at American Eagle ends today. 

Zack: Ok, I'll get ready. 

Me texting Clark: What size and style pants do you wear at American Eagle. 

Clark texting me back: size 34 x 34 skinny. 

Later that day about 3:00 pm - Zack and I are at American Eagle. He walks in picks up 2 different size pants and heads to the dressing room. I walk to the wall and pick out 3 pair of pants for Clark, all the same style - 2 dark blue jeans, and one black pair that he needs for tech. 

3:05 pm: I'm looking through the sale rack for shirts, I pick two - one for Zack and one for Clark.

3:10 pm: Standing at the check out buying six pair of pants and the two shirts I picked out. 

Me: Are you sure you don't need anything else?  

Zack: No.

Me: Are you hungry? Do you want to go to lunch?

Zack: Well I'm kinda hungry, but can we just drive through In-and-Out?

Me: Yep, if that's what you want to do.

3:15 pm: Ordering a double double meal.

3:35 pm: We are home. Jeans are on the couch, Zack is eating a burger while watching Netflix in the front room. 

Zack: Thanks Mom! It's been a fun day. 

Me: Sure, It was fun. (But I'm thinking... Wait we've been gone an hour and I took the whole night off thinking we'd be enjoying some bonding time with baby boy. But he's so happy with a burger. Oh well, when Clark gets home we'll get school supplies).

Fast forward 2 weeks - 3 days before school starts and my last day before my school starts.

Just hit the copy and paste button from Shopping Day 1.

Edit:

Zack and Clark are in the car. 

They only want to go to the Walmart in Spanish Fork. 

The only isles we see in the store are the back-to-school isles and our purchase list includes: 8 black and white binders, 8 black and white folders, two packs of mechanical pencils, and two packs of pens. 

Dialogue change - Me: "Boys, do you need highlighters, or colored pencils or anything?" Boys: "No, you made us get those last year and I don't think we even opened them."

Drive through Sonic instead of In-and-Out.

Total time gone 30 minutes. 

Huh----When your vision doesn't match the activity. That's reality!

*** One thing I must mention, there were lots of thank you mom comments made. I have good boys.