Back-to-school has always meant the purchase of new clothes and new supplies for our kids, but now there’s something else parents might be expected to buy: locker decorations. Walk down any middle school hallway and you’ll be shocked to see that the drab, grey lockers we had as kids now sport brightly colored wallpaper, pink shag rugs and, yes, even working chandeliers or mini-fans. Most of this decorating is done by girls and their moms, but there are also a few products made for boys, too, like “Locker Rocker” hangers for their headphones. Luckily my son, the new middle-schooler, didn’t want anything fancier than a pack of mints to keep in his locker, but I’m sure he’ll accumulate a few more things over the school year.
And I can’t wait to see what that is because no doubt it’ll be a lot different from what his dad kept in his middle school locker.
Illustration by Brenda Ponnay.