Pleading for kids aprons
Posted by juliabennet on January 18th, 2013
Kids’ activities are often a real danger for their clothes. Whether they get stained with grease or chocolate, or they get dusty, a sort of protecting garment would be perfect to maintain them as clean as possible. A long time ago, parents used to give their kids aprons to put over their usual clothes. Those aprons had a precise mission. They had to cover and protect the kids’ garments from undesirable agents that could have affected their integrity. After many years of decline, aprons have come back in the children’s fashion, as they were revived in the grown-ups fashion too.
There were generations of kids who simply ignored what aprons meant. These were, perhaps, unhappy generations and they should be told some stories about grandmothers and aprons. They should find out that women living more than a century ago had a rather poor wardrobe, because they could not afford to have too many clothes. Moreover, there were no washing machines and everything had to be washed manually and then dried in the sun. Under the circumstances, the clothes were not washed too frequently, because the process was complicated. Then, the apron came as a practical solution to this problem. It was easier to wash and dry it after a couple of days than to wash clothes. Plus it was cheaper than other garments because the material was ordinary and less material was needed than in the case of other clothes. When people saw the utility of the aprons, they decided to give their kids aprons too, in order to benefit from their protection to dirt.
Aprons have, above all, some special meanings for those generations who still remember their grandmothers and their protective aprons. For example, Grandma was using her apron to pull the hot pan from the oven. This simple gesture meant that dinner was ready. Then she waved her same apron from the porch, meaning that men who were working in the fields had to stop and come home to dinner. Other memories are connected to what grandmother was bringing in her apron: whether some eggs from the chicken coop or some apples from those that had fallen in the orchard, or some fresh vegetables from the garden.
It is also good to remember some tender gestures Grandma used to make like drying the kids’ tears or simply letting them hide behind the apron when they were afraid of some stranger coming. That enchanted apron has accompanied a whole childhood. Other memories show how grandmother wrapped the apron around her arms when it was cold, or how quickly she could use it to dust furniture when someone came unexpectedly. All these memories are destined to live forever and preserve that delicate feeling of love that we all need.
The history of the aprons is long and full of remarkable events, but also periods of decline. Like grown-ups have aprons for several activities, parents gave kids aprons to protect their clothes from getting dirty.
