I’ll admit it; I was a skeptic in the beginning. I swore I would never give in. I thought I was perfectly fine in my jeans. Besides, wearing you instead of “real pants” would mean conforming to the stay-at-home mom stereotype I tried so hard to avoid. Some call you leggings or yoga pants, but I thought of you as the first step down the pathway toward a lifetime of wearing athleisure. Then one day it happened. My curiosity got the better of me and I succumbed to your stretchy comfort.
I wore you and my life was forever changed.
In those very first days of motherhood, you were my constant companion. You were the only option that fit and felt comfy in those early postpartum months when my jeans still wouldn’t zip. I could throw you on with a t-shirt and feel like I had accomplished getting ready for the day. Some days I would wear you all day and all night because you could easily double as pajamas when I was too exhausted to change clothes.
Obviously, you make great workout wear. After all, you were literally made for the gym. I get it and I love that about you. But, what I love even more is wearing you for the daily workout I get just being a mom. I wear you to chase my toddlers, run errands, and put away the groceries. With you on my legs, I can climb the tallest slides and leap piles of LEGOs in a single bound. I can sit cross-legged on the floor and read stories and go for walks around the neighborhood with ease.
No matter the weather or season, you fulfill my wardrobe needs. You are fleece-lined for the cold days of winter and sweat-wicking for the hot days of summer. Thus, you are my year-round friend. You’re ideal for those early autumn and spring days when the weather goes from arctic to tropical in just a few hours. And, let’s not forget how my pale, post-winter legs can hide behind you during the first days of spring, so no one knows how translucent they really are.
You give me the freedom to be one of the “cool” moms without sacrificing comfort. Pants become obsolete when you come in so many varieties. With cheetah, jegging, and even leather, the possibilities are truly endless. I can turn to you for help when a dress is maybe just a tad too short or when I don’t have time (or forgot) to shave my legs. You can even be bought pre-ripped, which allows me to pretend the holes in my regular leggings are there on purpose.
Wearing you gives me an air of mystery that other clothing just cannot provide. I can pair you with an athletic-looking top and keep everyone I meet guessing. Maybe I just came from the gym, maybe I am going to run five miles later, or maybe I just didn’t want to put on real pants — no one will ever know for sure.
Leggings, I’m sorry I ever doubted your greatness and worth. I can’t imagine a world without you.
