Shifting

My son is shifting and I can't quite grasp him.  He continually surprises me and catches me off guard.  He has entered a new land, leaving me behind, and I see him as if through a gauzy curtain that is blowing in a breeze.  Sometimes I see him clearly; other times he is a mystery child, delightful yet puzzling.

Today I took him to get socks at Fred Meyer.  He informed me that he would like a new shirt to go with his sweatshirt.  He said he wanted something with "hip hop" designs on it.  I think I did very well not overreacting (I mean, how in the world could this skinny little white boy know what hip hop is?) and asked him to clarify.  He pointed to shirts and sweatshirts that had wild designs on them - flames, and skulls and skateboards and guitars.  Big boy clothes.  No more sedate, conservative stripes, or dinosaurs and dump trucks.  He wants to show his cool personality and some attitude.  I hesitatingly agreed to a shirt and hoodie that I would have never picked out for him myself.  I still have doubts about the hoodie; it has a skull hidden deftly in the graphic design.  I can't believe this is starting already.  I am in uncharted territory.