One of the most memorable holidays of my youth was a trip my family took to Six Flags over Texas. This was a wondrous vacation, and the thrill was in more than just the rides. In fact, what I found most remarkable was another family I saw not too unlike my own. There was a mom, there was a dad, and there were about 6 children ranging in age from about 2-years old to somewhere in their teens. What stood out to me was not the fact the little girl was spilling her drink in her brothers lap, but the fact they all had matching embroidered short sleeve shirts.
For some reason, this had a tremendous impact on me at this tender age. The thought of the whole family wearing embroidered short sleeve shirts that matched struck me as being both special and being convenient. In later years, I would learn the importance of not having the child's name on the tops, but at the time, I thought that was the only thing missing.
While I am sure that not everyone, especially the older children, appreciated being dressed alike, this is actually a very convenient and polite way of keeping track of the whole bunch. Everyone had on this solid, blue shirt. Today, I do not remember exactly what the design on the back was, but I do remember it was matching from one family member to the other.
The benefit of this is wonderful if you stop and think about it. The blue color could be matched by anyone, but the customized embroidery on the back was unique to this family. Regardless of where each family member went, they would always be able to easily pinpoint other members of the family because of that one shirt.
The pants were relatively the same. I remember the dark blue jeans all matched, the shoes matched, and the embroidered short sleeve shirts were just the icing on the cake. Yes, looking alike can be a big pain especially for the older children, but the benefits far outnumber the displeasure with looking like your younger brother - minus the soda that was spilled on his head.
These are easy to get as well. In the majority of larger towns, you can find a tailor or even an embroiderer that will gladly personalize any garment or item you bring to them. This can be as simple as the shirt or even more complicated such as with a tote bag. Needless to say, when you go on vacation and you need to be able to check on your oldest daughter down the beach, being able to pinpoint her by her shirt will make checking up less intrusive for the teen but easier for the parent who will most likely need a vacation after the vacation is over.
When it comes time for your next vacation, you may find, like I have with my family, that embroidered short sleeve shirts offer a great avenue for conformity that is easy too spot in a crowd. You will be able to find these customization specialists in your area, and the benefits may just save lives.