Keeping it in the Family

Christmas time has come to an end and we have begun a new and exciting year. December is always a very busy time for Kiditude Apparel. Now, well into January, business is operating as usual and we have some time to reflect.

I think back on 2011 with the same bittersweet feelings I have every new year. There were good times and bad times. There were sad times when family became ill or passed and happy times when babies were born. Overall, we survived, we grew and learned and emerged to enter the next phase of our lives, whatever that may be.

I love Christmas season. I almost can't wait for Thanksgiving to be over so I can run out to the garage the next morning and find all my Christmas decorations. I like to buy my tree right after Thanksgiving because by the time New Year's comes I'm ready to tear the thing down and get my house back in order.

I separate all the gifts that remain under the tree into piles based on who or where they belong. This year, that moment was very special. I was home alone performing this annual task when I opened a box to see what it was. And, ah yes, I received the most special gift from my 8 year old son and there it was again.

Kiditude is a family business and we work on it 24 hours a day. My kids see what goes on around them. They see me cooking dinner after a day at the office, still checking email, running to the home office to answer consumer questions, running back to the oven to check the chicken. It basically never ends but we enjoy it.

This year, my 8 year old, in secret drew a picture of a cool baby bib he designed for Kiditude. He took the drawing to my mother and asked her to sew it. I knew nothing about this secret mission. My mother took my son to the fabric store so he could choose the fabrics he wanted for his design and sewed the bib according to the color coded diagram he drew. Each piece of the bib meant something and my son explained to my mother why the fabric choices were so important.

On Christmas day my husband and I were presented with this beautiful hand-made, custom designed cool baby bib. I was blown away. My husband was floored. We know the kids see us work hard but for our son to embrace vision and celebrate this labor of love with us was the best gift. Not to mention that his bib design rocked!

I think we found someone to take over the family business when we are ready to retire. All of the mommy guilt I piled on in the month of December for not being able to read a book or eat family dinner because I had to work was quickly wiped away with this one special gift. My young son got it. He understood how much joy this business brings me and he finds joy in it himself.