jacket optional?

Purchased letter jacket almost two years ago. It hangs in the closet. Unnamed child gets another letter, back to the store it goes, still with the tags on it, to get the bar added to the arm. Jacket still sits lonely and unworn. Expensive piece of leather to sit in a closet.

"Don't hang it in the closet and I'll see it and wear it," he says.

Jacket picked up from sports store, beautiful, new.. literally, still unworn with tags. I take it out of the bag and lay it on his chair. A full week later, still smelling wonderful, as leather does... but as the weather is nearing 50* this week I am not hopeful it will see the light of day outside the house.

And then... it happened.

Teen stands in kitchen trying desperately to get zipper to work on his favorite worn jacket this morning. "Mom, I feel like a kid, why can't I get this to zip?" he says.

I give it a good try. No, really I do. Flashbacks of toddler coming to me while I zip his jacket tenderly... but to no avail. Something is wrong with the zipper. I can almost hear the leather sounds coming from the other side of the kitchen, "pick me, pick me!" it screams our direction.

Off comes the well-loved, but no longer functioning jacket... and {drum roll please} ON GOES THE LETTER JACKET!! New tags removed from the gorgeous, expensive, well-deserved jacket and the teen struts out the door, mumbling something about being late.

‪#‎thankyoubabyjesus‬

Update:  Dad tried to help with the zipper on aforementioned favorite jacket.  It's now officially broken. Not by me!