I guess it’s true what they say about confession being good for the soul because after I wrote about my insomnia yesterday I slept better than I have in weeks. Maybe it was the relief of knowing that others shared my sleepless burden. Or maybe it was the melatonin. Or maybe it was my subconscious telling my body, “OH FOR THE LOVE, LET HER SLEEP SO SHE’LL SHUT UP ABOUT IT”.
All I know is that a restful night’s sleep couldn’t have come at a better time because Caroline decided yesterday morning would be a good day to see how close she could push me to the brink of sanity and live to tell about it.
Every morning, she gets in my bed and eats a bowl of dry cereal (like mother, like daughter) while she watches an episode of Magic School Bus, which has taken the place of Caillou as the show that annoys me the most. I don’t know why Mrs. Frizzle gets away with the things she does, but if my child ever came home from school and announced her class went on a field trip and ended up inside the uterus of a chicken, there would be heck to pay. There are some things better left to the imagination and how an egg is made falls in that category. I prefer to believe they’re just like pork chops or a roast and magically appear at the grocery store with no prior history.
Ever since Caroline started Kindergarten last year, I’ve learned that the most pain-free way to get her dressed in the morning is to offer her three wardrobe options for the day. I walk through the kitchen on the way into our bedroom, holding the offerings I’ve procured from her closet and whisper to P, “I’m going in. Say a prayer for me.” And he looks at me as if he wants to tell me I’m the bravest women he’s ever met. Either that or he’s wondering why I’m talking while he’s looking at bargain-priced ammo on the computer.
Most days she sizes up the three choices, makes some editorial changes to the suggested accessories, and ultimately wears one of the outfits. But then there are other days. The days where she dismisses all my choices with a wave of her hand and says, “None of those!” in a tone that indicates she can’t believe I don’t have the supernatural ability to sense that she is SO OVER leggings right now even though she loved them yesterday. On those days, I insist that she pick one of my options while explaining that all her jeans are dirty and leggings are not 100% cotton instruments of the devil. Ultimately, she’ll get dressed and we’ll move on to other topics such as the unfairness of life as it involves brushing your hair every day.
But yesterday morning she was wound up. I walked in with three choices (none of which included the devil’s leggings) and she immediately questioned why I always make her wear long sleeves. Well, I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with it being January and thirty degrees outside or maybe it’s just because I am the meanest mother in the world and subscribe to mental torture in the form of long sleeves and unconditional love.
All of a sudden, something dawned on me. I believe the revelation was due to my clear mind after a restful night’s sleep. On the weekends, she dresses herself. She goes in her room, rummages through her drawers and comes out in some semblance of appropriate attire, as long as your definition of appropriate is that it covers all the right places and not that it actually matches or is seasonally accurate. Emboldened by this a-ha moment, I dropped the clothes on the bed and said, “Fine. Go in your room and pick out what you want to wear. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Blank stare.
I walked into the kitchen to finish making her lunch. She carried the clothes I’d selected into her bedroom and came out five minutes later wearing A LONG SLEEVE SHIRT. A long sleeve shirt that I’d picked out less than ten minutes earlier because apparently long sleeve shirts are only bad and horrible when your mother picks them out.
Which is why Caroline has now graduated to the world of picking out her own clothes every morning. I’m sure there will be some selections that make me cringe, but the reality is that almost every child at her elementary school looks like they were dressed by a color-blind hobo. And that tells me they either must dress themselves or our school district has more than its share of children being parented by color-blind hobos.
Of course considering that I dropped her off yesterday morning while wearing maroon velour sweatpants with a green sweatshirt, I guess I fall into that demographic.
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My 6-year old wore her pink camo pants and a tye-dyed t-shirt to school last week. I was so proud I almost cried! I, too, have given up on picking out her clothes and just let her do it.
I love it!!! I love to laugh at the drama in your house, b/c I have it times 4. I am hoping my son will just want the same pair of dirty jeans everyday and we can skip the excitement. Thanks for the gift card, I ordered my cwd kids yesterday, I am so glad I entered your contest that day!!!
I started doing that a year ago when my daughter was in kindergarten. It was the best decision I have ever made! I know some mornings the teacher must think she has nothing else in her closet other that the outfit she has worn for three straight days, but I am ok with that! As long as I am able to maintain my sanity and not go through a box of kleenex a week, she can wear the same outfit everyday for the rest of the year!
such a bittersweet milestone. my daughter gets NO options because i am a mean mommy. and she’s three so i can still get away with it!
-erika
theurthmama.com
Gaba is the answer to your insomnia prayers. Go get you some at http://www.vitacost.com Go ahead and order you some Yogi Mayan Cocoa Spice tea while you are at it….heaven in a cup! You’ll thank me later…and you’re welcome!
OH MY GOSH…do we have the same daughter. This scenario plays at my home every morning before kindergarten as well. I would let me daughter pick her own outfit, if not for the fact that I am certain she would waltz out of her bedroom with a bathing suit and flip flops. I literally had to hide the bathing suits in our attic so she could not even get to them. It is 20 degrees outside and she screams if I dare pull out a long sleeve shirt or heaven forbid a pair of leggings or pants longer than bermuda shorts! Thanks for the laugh and the reminder that we are not alone!!!
And THAT, dear friend, is why I love a school uniform. My kids get to wear whatever they want on the weekends, but have a select few items for school. I don’t care what combination they put together as long as it’s from a certain part of the closet or drawers. AWESOME!
Ah the joys of having a daughter. My daughter used to say Well your’re not the one wearing, why do you care?” Now that she is in middles school she has certainly toned down her outfits. She used to wear (last year in 5th grade) striped knee socks, jeans, but rolled up to her knees, a crazy shirt, and her own home mades suspenders that she made out of fabric. To top it off she wore a pink striped hat. She thought she looked great. Hey, if you have the confidence to wear something like that, go for it!
Marissa
The Tongginator (kindergarten) has two hanging bars in her closet – the top one is for mix-and-match as well as clothes inappropriate for school while the bottom bar is filled with ready-made outfits (top and bottom combined) she can wear to school. She can only pick from the bottom bar on school days. And I totally can’t decide if this makes me smart or anal…
The Tongginator (kindergarten) has two hanging bars in her closet – the top one is for mix-and-match as well as clothes inappropriate for school while the bottom bar is filled with ready-made outfits (top and bottom combined) she can wear to school. She can only pick from the bottom bar on school days. And I totally can’t decide if this makes me anal or not…
My friends little girl always looks homeless. She won the price on mismatch day and she had worn the EXACT same outfit the week before.
My older one puts on whatever I pick out without complaint (2nd grade). My younger one MUST wear something with a dog or cat on it everyday. I have finally bought a cheap dog pin so I don’t have to buy her a new wardrobe.
“Color blind hobo”? Love that demographic!
Maybe Rachel Zoe will move in next door and become friends with you and do some wardrobe consultation for free. Caroline might like her style…I *have* seen an outfit or two on RZ that somewhat resemble the taste of a colorblind hobo.
One of my kids wears only short-sleeves, doesn’t matter to her in the least that it’s 20 degrees outside. It’s all I can do to get the heavy winter coat on her!
Carlie has been pushing me to the brink of insanity since she was 4 and went to preschool! One day, after exhausting all other options, I drove her to our church preschool wearing a Sleeping Beauty costume and a pair of pink “eel skin” cowboy boots!! I just figured they see her looking decent more often than not and know that I try! At least that is what I tell myself. I knew it was going to be a long year when I held up a dress in GAP this summer when we were school shopping and Carlie replied (with hands on hips) “Not a fan.”. I get frustrated and Britt gingerly reminds me that I “created that monster”!
Haha! Your writing never fails to make me laugh. And somehow I think I fall into the ‘hobo’ category as well
Ha. I’m going to recommend a website. Please understand this does not mean I think your parenting is lacking in any way. It means that I am the kind of control freak who makes Kate Gosselin look like a free wheeling hippie and it helped me with letting my children make some decisions. (It’s not just my children, I am always glad to point others in close relationship to me to the light as well…) The site is ibethel.org. There is a search bar at the top right. Type in Danny Silk. He is their family ? pastor and he is awesome.
You know I found out this week that Lily Tomlin is the voice of Mrs. Frizzle. Or, she’s the original. I don’t know if she’s the one shepherding everybody into a chicken’s baby-maker.
Oh my goodness!!! I SOOOOO needed to read this after the morning we had. We also have wardrobe issues regarding length of sleeves. Emily has now decided that jeans are the devil(since Christmas when she got about 3 new pair of them). Her new favorite pants are velour sweats but they only come in so many colors and prints.
Good for you! Pick your battles and zap an email to the teacher making a disclaimer on Caroline’s wardrobe.
This situation sounds a tad familiar.
Only Sophie is three.
THREE!
3!
Does she know that? She begged me last week to let her wear her pajamas to school. I sympathized with her–because really, if I can, I stay in mine while at home only to bathe and change into another pair of pajamas later that night.
I told her maybe she would have a pajama day soon where she would get to wear her pajamas to school. She gasped. And hoped.
And that very day brought home a letter stating that this Thursday–TOMORROW–will be Pajama and Popcorn day. (We all know what letter of the alphabet they’re on.)
Now convincing her that every day thus far has NOT been Thursday is another issue.
One day to go!
Well–fifteen years or something. But whatever. I think the latter of those years I will just pass her off to her much older sisters who no doubt put me through some similar clothing crisis.
For now, I’ll call her bluff and hope she does half as good as Caroline.
The only thing better than this post (and the violent head-nodding that goes with it) is YOUR TITLE! You’re great.
Why do they HATE leggings??? My 4 year old throws herself on the floor at the thought of leggings over tights.
I had a friend who does not have children but loves to smock for other people’s kids. When my oldest started 5k my friend stressed over what my daughter would wear for a whole year. I told her kids at our school didn’t wear smocked dresses everyday – they more look like the colorblind hobos you mentioned. My friend just can’t believe I “let” her go to school looking so mismatched … I tell her to come over EVERY morning and deal with the CLOTHES BATTLE for 2 little girls!
LOL Love the “devils leggings” my child is 4 and feels that way about jeans! she refuses to wear them, so I usually give up, let her choose. It never fails, she always comes back out wearing the homliest pink sweatpants know to man! lol I feel your pain!
This may go down in history as my favorite post EVER…. I have 2 elementary-aged daughters with very strong opinions about clothing which of course can change on a moment-by-moment basis. {{{big sigh}}} You have no idea how much this resonates with me. And for the record, I have compromised into allowing short-sleeved shirts on Tuesdays and Thursdays only…b/c it’s P.E. double day and “WE GET SWEATY, MOM!!!”
Trust me, the teachers know the struggles that parents go through and is used to seeing, um, unusual clothing choices. Two suggestions for you: 1. Have C pick out her clothes the night before so that you avoid the morning drama of “I don’t have anything to wear!!!” Whatever she picks before she goes to bed, she has to wear the next day. Period. 2. Look into the Love and Logic Parenting strategies. Most school districts will offer seminars for parents, and there is a wonderful website that has lots of information. It sounds like you already naturally use a lot of their techniques, but it is something I wish I had found earlier to use with my kids. Keep up the good work, Mom!
I remember letting go and letting my daughter pick out her own clothes. If you are purchasing the clothes than they will be appropriate, modesty wise. The color/pattern combination will work itself out soon enough, not necessarily by your comments to her, but by the comments from the girls at school. Ahh, to have a youngster again! My daughter is a senior this year and dresses herself darn cute! BTW, I saw on yahoo news that large crevices were forming in some San Antonio backyards. I’m assuming yours was not one of them, hopefully! Thanks for the daily smiles..
While I don’t have kids, I can only imagine what that will be like! : )
Apparently I must subscribe to a form of torture known as “I put an outfit on your bed and you wear it.”
Or actually, I must be a lot meaner than that because my five year old has simply never questioned the outfit lying on her bed for her to wear.
Now the hair … different story. We have tears about that every morning.
New morning rule: Don’t take a sip of coffee before you finish reading Big Mama cause something toward the end is gonna make you LOL and either spit coffee all over your Mac or choke on the necessary morning beverage. “Raised by color blind hobos” got me this a.m. Thankfully Im not wearing Tully’s Kona blend!!
I second the school uniform! It is never a battle…clothes are school mandated, ha ha ha. But I also have brain-washed my eight-year-old into believing that they don’t have a say in clothing and they happily wear whatever I put out on the weekends/for church/etc or whether it is sweater v. no sweater, shorts v. long pants with the school uniform.
LOVE this! I’m about 7 years behind you (pregnant with our first child, a girl), so this is great for me to read! So this is what I’ll be doing 7 years from now? I should begin praying now that Molly will get her mother’s love for smocked bishop dresses and mary janes!
The color-blind hobo thing made me laugh out loud!
That is hysterical. This reminds me of my pastor’s daughter that showed up to church one night in a sleeveless seersucker pink and yellow dress with dark colored rainboots in the dead of winter. AND this was the norm for her. Maybe she’ll be the next Betsey Johnson!
Melanie…I so needed a good laugh this morning! This cracks me up!! I am still not brave enough to let my 6 year old pick out her own clothes…it would be her silver tutu skirt everyday if I did!
Love it! I may use “color blind hobo” to describe my son from now on… when he puts on his orange shirt and red “work-out” shorts. Nice.
Ava (7) and I have an agreement. She doesn’t have to match. Anytime I question her clothing choice (which is very rare these days–I’ve lost the will to fight), she reminds me of it.
And I actually think she’s on to something with her crazy, funky style. If you ever want to feature her on Fashion Friday–Kid Edition, let me know.
The funniest part of this is when you confessed that you took her to school in a mis-matched outfit. My daughter doesn’t understand why she looks all nice, hair brushed, etc…and I take her to school in the outfit that I throw together when the dog needs to go out at 5:30 a.m. in the snow. Today, I had on a damask sweatshirt, leopard print flats, and a zebra print headband…wow! I prayed the whole way to school that her door would open on its own and that I would not have to get out. Have a great day!
Amy
My older kids are boys, which make this problem so much easier. I mean jeans look good with pretty much anything.
Now I have a 9-mnth-old daughter, and I expect my days of easy clothing decisions are coming to an end.
My 8 year old son left the house this morning in a navy and green rugby shirt and camoflauge pants. I feel much better after reading this.
Been there, done that (not the Magic School Bus part, the dressing part). Em picks out her outfit the night before. She’s usually coordinated head to toe. My younger daughter M feels that the more colors she has on, the better. As long as they are both dressed, I really don’t care. I learned long ago that nobody is going to believe that I selected the purple polka dotted leggings, striped shirt, and orange shoes…I hope they don’t!!
Mine does the same thing…except she is 3. There are just some things that aren’t worth the fight. As long as all her little “bits” are covered and she isn’t going to (a) end up with hypotermia or (b) have a heat stroke, I figure it isn’t hurting anyone.
Good luck!
Way to go Big Mama!!!!! That battle isn’t worth fighting! My first grade son has been dressing himself since he was one. I have such carefree mornings and I’ve learned to adjust to the lack of fashion or even matching. You are FREE!!! Rejoice in the new found freedom!
My daughter was the same way when she was little. I used to tell her that if it was too hard for her to make up her mind that we would go to Target and replace her wardrobe with school uniforms. Seven white shirts and seven pairs of navy blue slacks. That always helped her decision making process along!
But when she was in 5th & 6th grade, she was required to wear the school uniform. I thought it would make life easier but it didn’t. Still too many options. She could have khaki or navy slacks, shorts, or skirts and she could have white, red, navy or light blue polo shirts. Then we would argue about all of the combinations. She thought red shirts clashed with navy pants. I thought red shirts with khaki pants was the dress code at Target.
When the school uniform dress code was dropped in 7th grade, I was worried that our wardrobe problems would start again. However, she was so happy to have options again that she never complained!
Good luck!
There is hope. Really, I have seen it in action. Friend of mine’s daughter, B, started picking out her own clothes at an early age and some of the things she wore could only be described as a “get-up!” Today at 15 she always matches–I am not a fan of the skintight jean, low cut shirts on girls that age but she fits in with the rest of the girls.
Welcome to the world of “choose your battles”. My mantra is “it’s not of eternal value.” Of course my daughter was eighteen and off to college before this dawned on me. Congratulations!
So JUST SATURDAY I was retelling the story of seeing you in Blockbuster when the boys were little, and Jared was in the black cowboy boots and straw hat phase of dressing himself. Of course, it was summer, so he was also wearing green shorts and a yellow/green tank top and a turquoise pacifier.
But my favorite part is how he always pulled the cowboy hat down on his head, then pushed it up slightly so that the black elastic band always showed on his forehead. AND he always pushed the pacifier ring up, so it stuck under his nose like a bull’s nose ring.
In my defense, having the boys just one year apart, and having a second child as stubborn as a bull, I was TIRED. But when I turned around to introduce him and SAW the outfit, I could have cried. It was definitely my finest hobo moment, although there have been many others…like when he went through the black knee socks phase.
I am so proud of you. You made an very important step today.
Rule…don’t start something that you don’t want to do the rest of your life.
If only I’d learned that instead of doing my daughter’s hair into perfect pigtails..every day for a year.
Good news..she is 29 and about to have a baby of her own. So needless to say, I don’t have to do her hair anymore and she may be getting some of her own back soon.
Congrats mom!
I couldn’t disagree more about Magic School Bus. I LOVE that show!
Great story! When our boys started wanting to pick out their outfits, I bought a bunch of hangers with the little clips attached. That way I can hang up outfits all on the same hanger. I try to make sure they always have a range of choices in their closet from dressy outfits to very casual. It gives them a sense of power over their dressing choices but avoids (so far!) the clown outfits
Ahhh…. the joy of boys. Well, the fact that uniforms are required for school helps. My boys are 3 years apart, but they wear the same size. SO…. I have all of their school uniforms hung in my laundry room where I also have two bins on a shelf. One bin contains underwear, the other socks. They REFUSE to wear long sleeve school uniform shirts, so they wear underarmour or baseball sleeves, etc., under their uniform shirts. Other than getting a long sleeves from their bedroom closets, everything else they need to get dressed for school is in the laundry room. While they’re getting dressed, they can also put their dirty jammies and underclothes directly in the dirty clothes while in the laundry room.
Congrats to Caroline for passing this momentous milestone in life!
and….. thank you for the affirmation of putting my child in a parochial school with a uniform. our arguments come down to pants vs. skirt w/tights & what color bow to wear in her hair.
My daughter is 12 now, but I remember very clearly going through this same thing at about 3 years old. I used to want to pin a sign to her back that said, “Aren’t you proud of me. I dressed myself!” That way everyone would know I didn’t pick out the horrid combinations she picked out.
Ohhh this sounds like my youngest daughter! I have no advice except to do what you did. It still baffles me. My older 2 daughters never gave me a hard time about their clothes, my oldest who is in 10th grade, still lets me pick an outfit or 2 out.
I finally gave up on this battle and my step daughter is in fourth grade. Her only rules are that she has to try and wear everything in her closet before she can start over (she has a lot of clothes that would end up never getting worn if I didn’t). Also, if we are going somewhere nicer like out to dinner with family or to church, I have final say. It makes the morning so much easier
Oh girl. My son does the same thing! I’m such a horrible mother for making him making him wear long sleeve shirts when it’s cold outside. Yesterday he wanted to wear shorts…
I must say you are lucky to have made it this long. My daughter stopped wanting what I picked out at 3. Now she is very fashion concious and could be with Stacy & Clinton on What Not to Wear – seriously!!! I’ve heard (and possibly, maybe done) that you can let your kids dress themselves, then slap a sticker on their back that says “Today I dressed Myself!” so that school officials realize you are not a sub-par parent. Great post!! I can so relate. Just wait til she’s 12 – going on 30!
I can’t begin to tell you how much better I feel knowing others are experiencing the same “joys” of motherhood and mismatched clothes as we do on a daily basis. My daughter turned 10 in October and, seriously, I think she developed an alternate personality on that day. While my mother keeps telling me “it’s just hormones, dear,” that truly doesn’t give me any sense of comfort. How could it when I know that – if it is hormones – there is absolutely no end in sight?
I do cringe sometimes at what she picks out to wear to school but I generally make her pick it out before she goes to bed the night before so I can make any necessary covert switches under the cover of night. When she’s still groggy from sleep, she just assumes it’s what she chose the evening before.
My kids dress themselves and rarely match; however, they are clothed and nobody really cares if a kid matches anywhoo. Just makes life easier!
-FringeGirl
maybe i have already commented and shared this with you in response to a previous post of yours?? oh well! i’ll share again…
my caroline (9 1/2 years old) has dressed herself since 4 year-old preschool, maybe a little earlier. i just had to choose my battles or i would go insane since i had a newborn and all my energy was going towards staying awake all day after a sleepless night. well, by the time she was in kindergarten and 1st grade, i was getting ‘thank yous’ from the teachers who worked bus duty…they thanked me for letting caroline wear whatever she wanted because they looked forward to the joy (um, laughter?!) they received when they saw her clothing “creation” everyday when she stepped off the bus! oh my.
You will love this new-found freedom. Think of it as allowing her to assert her independence. You’re being a good mom by letting her go to school in things that don’t match. At least that is what I tell myself.
My little sister is 7. She is EXACTLY the same! We have started letting her pick out her own things because it was a fight every morning over what she was NOT going to wear. She told me one morning that she was a “fashion diva”. I think we need to ban Bratz.
My 10 yr old daughter is driving me nuts in the wardrobe area also. For whatever reason, she is into oversized layered clothing – longer than knee length boys slicky shorts with boys sweats that are 2 sizes too big with a unisex t-shirt with two sweatshirts layered over that. She looks like a homeless person. I’ve tried to talk to her about looking feminine and something that actually shows there is a body somewhere under those clothes until I am blue in the face. I totally understand your Caroline issues …. I wish I could tell you it gets better LOL At least Caroline doesn’t have older brothers’ hand-me-downs to pick from.
I did the same thing about that age, but reserved the right to “veto” power. I tried to reserve this for sundresses in February, but I did from time to time use it on “style” choices… you know the ones that make the a fore mentioned “color blind hobos” cringe…
“And that tells me they either must dress themselves or our school district has more than its share of children being parented by color-blind hobos.”
You are absolutely cracking me up! So glad the sleep helped. My boys are 3 and 1 so thankfully our clothing battles haven’t begun. Maybe they’ll just skip that altogether? I doubt it, but a girl can dream!
My middle son, 6, fights about wearing a coat to school every day, and I mean EVERYDAY! And we live someplace where it is less than 32 degrees outside in January. I gave up on the long sleeved shirts last year but not sure when to give up on the outerwear…. but it’s cold outside and he clearly has no sense of reason!
You make me laugh every day that you post! LOL! I’m giggling remembering my daughter at this age and how a came to a similar conclusion. Now she is at the ripe old age of 9 and is pretty much a pro! Although we still have the issue with weekend attire! LOL!
My friend lets my god-daughter dress herself (4). At the last parent/teacher conference the teacher informed her that some other parents are “concerned” about what Toots wears…b/c their little ones want to mimic her, and many times it just doesn’t match! They don’t like the kiddie bracelets or the purple leggins and black and pink shirt…
C’mon now folks…cut those apron strings-I say…
My friend informed the teacher to have those parents call her when they want to buy stock in her daughter’s fashion line!!!
Oh girl, have I been there! Now, your next step is to begin to buy only clothes that match. It will take a season or so, but I promise, it will reduce your stress. Of course, there is always the inevitable gift that will come that matches nothing and will be her favorite thing to wear, but wash it hard, shrink it and then cry with her when you can’t find it anymore (stick it in the back of a drawer, closet or shelf so you can be honest when she asks if you threw it away). And if it sounds like I am kidding….you could be very wrong.
Love it! I am an antique mama and I still remember the “what to wear to school battle.” Now I just sit back and watch my 2 daughters as their little girls gear up for a “dose of their own medicine.” Like they say, what goes around comes around. Your day will come when you will laugh and enjoy the memories, but really laugh when your granddaughters pull their little tricks!! I love life!!!
this is too funny! my youngest always wanted to pick out his clothes. he went out one day with shorts, cowboy boots and hat and a tee shirt with a vest! it’s one of my favorite pictures of him when he was little. he is now 13! he has gotten a little better with his clothes choices.
I like Tonggu Momma’s idea – it is both smart and anal, but if that combination gets kids dressed faster and not looking like an orphan, it’s acceptable to me
I HATE Caillou! Way to teach kids to whine
This is fantastic. I’m 11 years older than my sister and when she was about the same age as Caroline I would whisper in horror to our mother: “You cannot be serious. You’re letting her go to school in THAT?” And my mom would laugh at me, AT ME, and say “You should have seen what you wore.”
At one point she finally explained to me that my sister would never learn to dress herself if she wasn’t allowed to, so the sooner she chose her own clothes the sooner she would be good at it.
Of course, my mom was correct. At 14, my sister is SMASHING, I tell you, just smashing. She looks like she’s 20 (I try to ignore this part) and dresses in clothes far trendier than my own.
Moms? (almost) always know best.
I have 3 boys (9,6,4) and my 6 year old Carson thinks I am horrible when I make him wear long sleeves. He acts like I am pouring acid on his skin or something! It drives me crazy. I tell him he has to wear the long sleeves it is 30 degrees and people in our small town will talk about How I am a bad mom if I let him wear short sleeves. So, I guess it is really all about me.
Caillou can you please grow up already? And I just want to say something to his mother…You know you want to start yelling, so just go ahead and do it. It might actually shut that child up and really…you’d be doing us all a favor. Or, skip the yelling and just whip him. You’ll be setting a great example to our children. Thank you.
As for the clothes…we homeschool so mostly is doesnt matter because, well, she’s lucky if I even have my teeth brushed much less clothed in anything other than my pajamas. But I gave up a long time ago trying to fight her “fashion sense.”
Oh, I laughed, and then, well. My six year old boy strolled into the kitchen wearing red track pants, a blue long sleeve (it’s cold here!) shirt with a bright neon green Y t-shirt on top. Um. “Please switch blue to the top because the green is hurting my eyes.”
I see crazy kid clothes all the time! They’ll figure it out one day! And until then take pictures! It will make a good laugh for her one day!
Oh my. this brings back memories. I’m with Nikki – I love uniforms and so does my 16 year old. She has actually been wearing the same pair (the ACTUAL same pair) of shoes to high school since her first day as a freshman – she’s halfway through her junior year. When I ask her if she wants another pair, maybe two new pairs of shoes, she says no – “If I had two pairs of shoes, I’d have to make a decision – and I hate decisions in the morning.”
Big Mama…Did you cheer for the Kentucky Wildcats last night?? I can’t believe we lost to the Gamecocks (ugh…whats with that mascot anyway??). As soon as the game was over I thought about your post on how the teams you cheer for lose… I think we failed to show up, that or the call from O’bama threw us off!
Thank you for making me laugh out loud! Color-blind hobos!!!!
HAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!! I relegated the notion of picking out my 4-yo daughter’s clothes to the trash can a long time ago. Girls are too darn picky! No wonder we have 10 million stores full of clothes to one for every guy! And I think drama is in the air, too. The other day I made the mistake of telling my daughter “not now” when she wanted me to fix her hair “now,” and next thing I knew, she hated me and was storming off to her bedroom in tears.
I’m glad to know that this never ends. Thanks for the laughter!
I remember when I complained so much about getting my hair brushed, my mom didn’t brush it for a week! I was in second grade. And didn’t care. at. all. However, at the end of the week, I wished she had brushed it every day. Rat’s nest was the description.
Can I already let Jayci pick out her own outfits? Cause she screams when I get her dressed . . .
You always brighten my day with your posts! Thanks for making me smile!
I laughed through this entire post! Oh, how I can relate… except that my “fashionista” is my 4.5 yr old son. I’m just grateful that we live in FL, where I only have to wrangle evil long sleeves and long pants onto his body approx one week out of the year. It’s like long sleeves have tiny razor blades sewn into the seams, for the way he reacts to the thought of them.
We began choosing outfits together each night before bedtime which cuts back on the drama. I hate it when I wake up some mornings to realize we forgot to pick out clothes the night before.
I have four children, and as soon as my oldest was old enough (4) to play dress-up unassisted, I let her begin dressing herself. She looks like Punky Brewster most of the time, but at least she’s independent.:)
I never had girls, and I don’t remember this issue growing up with 2 sisters. Maybe because we didn’t have so much to choose from. I know my friends with kids in uniforms all love it.
And this is why I interrupted your calm weekend to introduce myself at the Siesta SMT weekend, I just had to meet the person who makes me laugh every single day. My son (age 6) wore a snowman t-shirt (that is too big and he normally sleeps in), his blue camo pants and his brother’s gray sweatshirt (2 sizes too small) to school today and I pretended like I didn’t even notice!!
I just wanted to say that you are absolutely hysterical. I so enjoy naturally witty people. I unfortunately was not born that way. When I try to be witty it usually comes off as just being sarcastic. Oh well. Although I live in Ohio now, I am actually originally from San Antonio and graduated from SWT. I chuckled out loud when you mentioned the drive between Houston and San Antonio. The only drive I have found to be more painful is driving across Kansas.
My kids start dressing themselves around 4-ish. My 4 1/2 year old wears things that make me gag, but since she gets it out of her closet and puts it on by herself she can wear it. This is one of those areas that I’ve never battled with my kids. They can wear 2 different shoes- or my son wore his shirts backwards for the longest time. As long as it’s seasonably appropriate and they put it on themselves they can wear it. You’re life will be so much better now- just close your eyes
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I found your blog from the link Angie Smith at Bring the Rain posted about how to tie/wear a scarf. I love your blog, it makes me laugh. Out loud.
Good for you for letting go!
I usually let my 4 1/2 year old dress herself, except for church I get a say and if, say, it’s not warm enough for a skirt, tights and a t-shirt in January in KANSAS!
So yes, I’m just admitting I’m another hobo – which I wouldn’t have to say if you could see me in my over-sized, weird-patterned wool sweater that I’m wearing because it’s the warmest one I own!
People, people, don’t worry about what the teachers think! Those who wonder don’t have kids yet. Those who have kids don’t wonder! We only worry about shorts and short sleeves when it’s cold, no coat when it’s cold, or dirty/unkempt clothes. We have these children for 7+ hours a day…we understand!!!
you might want to include yourself as a technical/accessories person. and may I suggest she make the selections the night before her regular bedtime routine.
lastly, if she is old enough and mature enough to make reasonable clothes decisions, it is time to introduce her to the most amazing room in your home. the laundry room.
just wait, she will be a teenager in less than seven years.
You need to get sleep more often and Caroline needs to *challenge* you more often as well (don’t hate me) because you get funnier and funnier that way. P is the luckiest male in the world. You’re a gem. Love you!
I soooo needed that! You are a joy! Albeit, i think I may have peed a little from laughing so hard!
And my son’s choice for first grade apparel? Shorts with cowboy boots and a coon-skin cap ala Davey Crockett.( Shirt optional unless demanded by adult.) Sometimes, you just want to pin a note on them that says, “I did not dress this child. Signed Mom.”
In the big scheme of things does it really matter if a kid matches? My daugher is nicknamed ‘rag-a-muffin’ because she simply could care less if she matches, ever. If she’s got all her parts covered she’s good to go.
I am fine with this, I have to be. I’m the same way! My oldest (16) is totally bothered by it but we just ignore what she has to say! LOL
I also work in a school and agree with another reply I read. We care more if they are dressed for the weather and if they are clean! Just this week a kid told us ‘my under pants are bothering me, they are ‘crunchy’ down there’. What do you say to that? And what do you want to do/say to the parent when you see them???? ugh
Kids need to express themselves! Clothing is an easy way to do that. Let her have fun with it.
Love this post! First, we DVR Magic School Bus and I have to admit- where are the permission slips? Secondly- the whole dressing ourselves is coming. I lay out everyone’s clothes- even the 42 year old husband’s, 8 year old daughter’s and 5 year old son’s. Nobody fights me so maybe we have some other underlying control freak issues. But for now it works. You are hilarious!
You know, there are just some battles I choose to fight. Clothing is RARELY one of them.
I say RARELY b/c I did have to battle my 5.5 yr old (who shares a BD w/ Caroline, so I’m sure that means they were derived of the same chicken uterus or at least have a weird, cosmic universal bond or some such) over wearing plastic, costume jewelry in our family photos a few weeks back.
Right now, as I type this, my sweet Kindergartner is wearing striped leggings with a matching striped turtle neck with a completely NON MATCHING denim skirt over it, with fingerless gloves (like Hobos wear) and her pink fluffy house slippers.
And here I sit in a much too small tank top that doesn’t cover my very pregnant belly and some pajama pants that should have been thrown out 7 years ago.
So who am I to judge?
I’m a hobo too, Big Mama. My 5-year-old’s milieu is wearing 2 different shoes. A pink cowboy boot and a croc, a sandal and a sneaker – you name it. Her teachers have told me they actually look forward to seeing her ensembles. I just have to keep repeating my mantra “As long as it’s weather-appropriate”….
I remember when my now 20 year old daughter told me one kindergarten morning 15 years ago that “JEANS WERE NOT AN OPTION!”. She has always picked out her own clothes and has a fabulous and unique sense of fashion : )
Love this! My oldest son was very particular about his clothes (and incidentally refused to wear long sleeves…even in the winter…and we are in the northern midwest!)! In the first grade, I finally gave up the battle and let him pick out his own clothes. He’s now sixteen and quite style-conscious, if it’s any consolation. =)
It’s funny how every child is different. My youngest son is in third grade and still happy as a clam to allow me to choose his clothing for him (as well as to do anything else he can get me to do for him!).
I think I could have become a millionare if I sold buttons to moms of 3-5 year old kids which said, “This is MY style ~ my mom had nothing to do with it!” or “My style! Specially chosen by me!”
I’ve grown up now and smile graciously at moms at shopping centres with ‘weird’ kids. I take princesses into banks and opera stars to the shops … and I don’t even mind!
Good for you. I let my daughter pick out her own clothes too and for the most part she does fine. Then there are times. . .
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