Until yesterday, it had been at least two years, maybe three, since I had taken Kate shopping. I find it easier to shop online for everything she needs. With our recent cold snap, she lacks winter clothes that fit. I was going to go online, but we are leaving for Texas next week and wanted to make sure she had something new for the trip. Thus, I took her shopping. I was looking for two types of things. One was tops that were a little heavier than what she normally wears. The other was a tunic-length cardigan sweater.
I had stopped taking her with me years ago when I found that it was confusing for her. She found it a challenge to make a decision as to what she liked and what she needed most or would wear. We often bought things she didn’t wear. I initially gravitated to shopping in her favorite stores without her. I stopped that because the clothes were generally expensive, and Kate would often wear them when working in the yard.
With this in mind, I was interested in how she might feel about going shopping again. To start with, she didn’t express any special interest in going. When I told her I wanted to take her to look for clothes, she simply went along with that the way she does with everything else I do. I shouldn’t have been surprised at her lack of enthusiasm. Since I started shopping for her, she hasn’t mentioned a need or desire to shop for anything. In fact, it doesn’t appear that she has ever noticed that I shop for her. When I give her something new to wear, I don’t mention that it is new or that I bought it. Yesterday, I told her I thought she could use a couple of tops like the one she was wearing, she simply accepted that without comment.
We went to a local department store that has a good selection with reasonable prices. Once we were in the shop, we both found a variety of things that were appropriate. The key was identifying something that fit, and, equally important, that Kate liked. One of the sales people directed us to two tables of tops and several racks of cardigans. We were able to locate tops that met our criteria. Kate was quick to identify the ones that she liked and those she didn’t. She tired very quickly and was ready to leave. I bought two tops and left the cardigans for another day when Kate is with the sitter. I didn’t even ask her to try them on. If they don’t fit, I’ll take them back. Handling her clothes continues to be one of the most troublesome chore for me.
