Landon Heinz is a fifth grader at Westerly Creek Elementary. Like most 5th grade boys, Landon dresses the exact same way as every other male student in his grade. Long sports shorts, long socks, sports shirt, etc. The girls in his grade are more apt to wear cute outfits, do their hair, and even dress appropriately as it pertains to the weather. Not the boys, however. They are wearing shorts. Every day. All the time. It doesn’t matter if it’s 80 degrees or 20 below with wind chill. They are wearing shorts. And, unbelievably, it appears they actually are completely unaffected by the cold. You never see these fifth grade boys shivering in a corner. They’ll be walking home in freezing temperatures, and be talking and laughing as if it is 75 and sunny. Nonetheless, parents still try to get these boys to dress appropriately. “I lay out clothes or tell him it’s going to be cold so wear pants or jeans all the time,” said Meg Clinton, mother of a fifth grade boy. “But, he ignores me and puts those damn shorts on.” Another local mom has even been called to the office because she “allowed” her son to wear shorts. “I literally got some sort of warning,” said Kyle Fisher. “As if I am some neglectful child abuser. I told them I try to get him to dress right.”
On one particular day, Landon saw it was going to be cold out. On that day, for a brief moment, he thought about opening his jeans and pants drawer. Alas, it never happened, and Landon walked to school with his shorts and long socks on. When it was 17 degrees outside. Landon’s mother, Stacy, hopes that the glimmer of hope will lead to more. “Maybe, he will one day open the drawer,” said Stacy. “Then, eventually, take out a pair of pants and put them on. It’s possible, right?” Don’t hold your breath, Stacy.