My brother is a few years older me. Because we grew up in a time when nothing was wasted or thrown out, mom saved his clothes as he grew out of them and gave them to me to wear. I hated to wear these hand-me-down clothes.

Christmas was one day when I would get new clothes. They were my very own clothes, not hand-me-downs that my older, stinky brother had worn. I craved new clothes!

Hand-me-downs have long been the bane of younger brothers and sisters. Parents, however, have held a much higher opinion of hand-me-down clothing. It means for some the difference between eating and eating well. There is no denying that handing down clothing for re-use by others is an extremely wise and frugal way to get more mileage from clothing.

Hand-me-down clothing has been a great blessing to many parents of past generations. In times of old, people only owned a few sets of clothing. Often each one was designated for a specific purpose, such as work clothes or Sunday “go to meeting” outfits.

With so few articles of clothing, people of past generations took care of what they owned by washing and mending them carefully with long-term wear expected. They also took care of their clothing so each item could eventually become a hand-me-down.

Thrift shops and second hand stores are still very popular. Used clothing is their biggest business. For most young boys, going with mom to shop for clothes in a thrift shop can be a traumatic experience. Perhaps it is why I don’t like to shop much today.

I can understand the need to buy second hand clothes for babies and adolescent children, as they grow bigger so quickly. However, as a young child grows older and more aware of their personal appearance, wearing hand-me-downs can damage their psyche.

I decorated my bicycle for a Halloween parade when I was a boy. I won second place and my parents received a ten-dollar bill as my prize. I was so proud until I found out that my mother had used the ten dollars to buy me a new shirt. I didn’t want a new shirt; I want to spend my prize on new toys! Mom didn’t understand my disappointment.

Today, our closets are often bulging with clothing that we probably will never wear again. Sometimes we give our old clothes to the Good Will thrift shop for those people who are less fortunate. It makes us feel like we are doing something to help them.

We are, but I still remember what it felt like to wear hand-me-down clothes. Just make sure that your older, stinky brother washes his clothes before you wear them. It was a lesson I learned many years ago.

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