MY EIGHT YEAR OLD has gone "label mad". I don't know how this came about - his Dad and I are probably two of the most label ignorant people you could meet.
Niall's most treasured possession is a pair of runners that cost the best part of £50. I donated what I believed a pair of runners should cost - about £20 - and he save hard for the rest out of birthday and Christmas money.
The day he bought them, he walked proudly through town with the bag from the sports shop where they were purchased, swinging it high for everyone to see.
His favourite pastime seems to be "brand spotting" - he can make out the name or logo on footwear from 30 feet.
He wasn't convinced when I told him that his "Made in Vietnam" designer runners were most likely made in the same sweatshop as the identical non branded ones for sale in the major chain stores.
It doesn't stop at runners. I recently bought him jeans from a well known children's clothes shop; he didn't to wear them. "Everyone will know where we got them - it says AJ on the back pocket." He seemed happy enough when we told him the only people who would know what AJ stood for obviously shopped in the same store.
He's making his Communion next month and wanted to get new runners and a tracksuit to wear on the day. We managed to achieve a happy compromise: we picked a pair of jeans and casual shirt which we both liked and which he would wear again.
Okay, I gave in and bought him an expensive well known brand - but there is nothing worse than buying clothes for a "special day" which are then thrown to the bottom of the wardrobe, never to be worn again.
I was telling his childminder, and she suggested that when he has outgrown these jeans I cut off the labels and sew them on to a cheaper pair - that he'll never know the difference. It might be worth a try, but I doubt he'd be taken in.
Anyway, so far, with the exception of his prized runners - and his new jeans, we have successfully avoided paying out too much for the major brand names and designer labels. The day he comes home and looks for Calvin Klein then I'll really begin to get worried.
