Clothing drama

When Olivia was about three she developed her own sense of style and made it very clear that she was bound to express it through her clothing choices. There I was standing with my little one, cute sweet and delightful in most every way, arguing over her attire. I was at the breaking point of absurdity. I refused to continue in this line of useless early morning battles only for the sake of my own style being reflected upon her. It was, for all purposes, my own selfishness that I would try to persuade her to wear certain outfits. So there we were in her room when I realized that this was ridiculous. Why did we have to turn every good morning into a bad morning? That is when my idea came to me. Instead of disagreeing we had to come to some sort of compromise.

I decided that the best way for me to quicken the dressing for school that I would put together pre-approved outfits and put them in her dresser. I studied her style and learned how she would dress. That way when she woke it was her decision to select the outfit for the day. In general anything pink is a go and it had to have color. Sparkles and glitter are positively necessary. She's a little funky so a wild print with bright colors and varied textures are a common choice. So long as I meet some of those criteria I'm doing great. Accessories were her decisions entirely. To this day that is how she gets dressed. I make sure that there are several options for her every week. From dresses, to pants, to skirts she can pick the best outfit to reflect her day. On the weekends she can wear, except for church and special occasions, anything any way she likes. She has one dresser drawer with an assortment of pants, shirts and skirts to mix as she pleases. I do, however, carry the Mom trump card. I can decline her decision based on school activities and the weather. Because she often insists on wearing a short skirt in the freezing rain and or on field trips.

I can't tell you how much better it has been since working this out. She hasn't complained too much, there were times I needed to be re-educated about selections. Now my biggest problem is tearing her away from her Strawberry Shortcake pajamas. She loves them so much that she'd wear them to school if I hadn't made it very clear some weeks ago that pajamas are home wear. Instead she puts them on shortly after school and is happy to lounge about the house.

As she is getting older I am curious to see how her sense of style will grow. I wonder what will be her next pink boots thing?