Some had chosen to wear ‘regular’ clothes – jeans, t-shirts, etc., – but certainly not LAST YEAR’s ‘regular’ clothes…. no, these were brand new ‘regular’ clothes, with no scuffs on the sneakers, no stains on the Aeropostale tee.  Hair was definitely ‘fixed’, and lip-gloss applied.

There were a distinct few who were more than a little concerned about their fashion selection for the day, choosing their VERY best everything – glittery shimmer blouse, shiny knee boots, skinniest skinny jeans, funky new Converse shoes, flashy barely-legal-in-school mini-skirt… They might not normally look like this (I see them walking to school or slouching out of the mini-van every OTHER day of the year, looking, well… normal), but back-to-school first impressions are SUPER important, you know!  It was pretty obvious many of them had been up for HOURS before the first day of school, perfecting their coiffures, artfully applying their make-up and painstakingly coordinating their outfits for maximum attention, even selecting only the hippest accessories – bangle bracelets, dangle earrings, bandana in the hip pocket, purposefully mismatched shoelaces… first-day fashion fabulousness!

And that’s just the parents – don’t even get me started about the kids!!!

Indeed, the pressure is on to attain that perfect back-to-school look, to get noticed, to make a great first impression. Hey moms & dads, don’t you think there’s enough of that already going on for the kids, without adding our own first-day fashion fuss!