Do you let your kids...

[Mommy2three]

My 3, soon to be 4 year old DD (in a few weeks) does like to dress herself. And yes...she is the type to wear a tutu and rainboots, or a play dress up dress out and about. She is very independent. If we are just running to the store to pick up a few things, run to the bank, etc then I don't mind. People think its cute because of her age lol. but if we are going out to eat for example then I will dress her. She is a tomboy, but a girly tomboy type. Like the type to wear the tutu and the rainboots. My two oldest have no sense in how to dress themselves. My 9 year old DD cannot match for the life of her, and her brother is the same way.

 

[NVDisMom]

Nope. If I don't approve it, it doesn't leave the store. Once it is in their closet it is their problem to figure out what goes with what. They both pretty much live in jeans and they go with everything. I will remove an item from the laundry and throw it out or donate it if it is ripped, stained, or just too small. Twice a year we do a "fashion show" to be sure everything that is in their closets fit. Gifts and hand me downs go through a mini fashion show too. If they don't get approval they never make it to the closet. (only had to argue once about a bathing suit that my dear MIL had given to oldest DD) As for weather appropriate...there really is only one way to learn. The old fashioned way. I am willing to look up the weather for the day if you ask and I will even go so far as to make suggestions if they ask. I made strong suggestions when they were under 5, now they are old enough to figure it out.

 

[krcit]

I have 3 kids. The girls pick out their own clothes every day-jeans and t-shirts. I pick out my 8 yo ds's clothes because it's easier. He wears shorts and t-shirts every day. I just got him a couple of pairs of jeans since it's getting chilly here. I do not make my dds wear dresses or skirts EVER. They are tomboys and hate dressing up. I get them nice pants/sweaters for the holidays and cute capris for summer occasions. They both wore dresses on their Communion days and at my brothers wedding. Oh and my older one wore one for her middle school graduation. I didn't force her but strongly 'suggested" it, lol. As long as they are neat and clean for school, I'm good.

This reminds me of a field trip my middle dd was going on a few years ago. She kept saying ; the teacher says we HAVE to wear a dress or a skirt" They were going to a Mexican Restaurant for lunch. I told her that I would talk to the teacher after she came home crying for the 3rd time that she couldn't go if she didn't wear a dress. I very nicely met with the teacher and explained to her that I would not force my dd to wear a dress, that she didn't even own a dress and rest assured, she would be dressed very cutely(had an adorable walking shorts/fancy shirt outfit) The teacher apologized and said she didn't realize how upset my dd was. The next day I found out that she(the teacher) went into all the other classes and asked if any of the girls had a dress or skirt for my dd to borrow!!!The kicker is after all that, the teacher was absent the day of the field trip so she never saw my dd in her adorable shorts and shirt

 

[MushyMushy]

When my kids were younger the only fights I really had with them were over weather appropriateness. No sandals/shorts/sleeveless in the winter!

 

[golfgal]

For the most part, yes, the kids can wear what they want. I don't allow them to buy clothing that isn't appropriate so that isn't much of an issue. When they were smaller and something didn't match I would let them know that and they would find something that did. If they wanted to wear shorts in the winter, fine but they had to go stand outside for 5 minutes wearing that and then they could go to school. They never wore them after that but they thought it was their choice to change . If we are going to a wedding or dressing up then they will wear nice clothing.

I never understood parents that let the kids run around like the "Circus threw up on them". I heard from parents that they didn't want to ruin the kids self esteem by telling them to change clothing-like the kids wouldn't make fun of them at school and make it worse??

 

[TerryKitten]

DD is 19month... so yeah I choose her clothing, but I put her in practical clothes for the event Most days, DS (5yo) wears whatever he wants from his dresser. I just expect it to be clean, not PJ's, and that he changes his underwear/socks from the previous day. Most everything goes together and so its not a big deal. The other day he was MR Orange. He picked orange shirt and orange shorts. I have a couple dresser outfits, but we don't do much really fancy.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

pretty much. Our biggest problems are with weather appropriate. I slept in sick last week and DD went to school in a winter jacket and flip flops!!!!!

She is mostly a jeans with layered tops or hoodies type of kid.

I also have a problem with tops being too low. DD is not trying to be sexy at all, but when she puts together a combination she likes - she really wants to wear it. She has grown quite a bit on top the past months and we are having trouble finding camisoles/tank tops that fit/aren't low cut. I finally had to put my foot down and told her t-shirts only for layering.

weather appropriate and school appropriate - and she is good to go! She is always clean and usually matching on her own.

ETA: luckily, when she was younger she never cared to wear PJs, costumes, or wildly mis-matched clothes out of the house...so we never had to deal with that.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Yes and no.

They can wear whatever they want within certain paramaters based on where they are going.

Matching and complimentary patterns and colors are not a requirement. Once in a while they have a doozy of an outfit, but as long as it fits our house rules for proper dress in regards to how much skin is showing in relation to where we are going, they have pretty fare game.

For a more formalized event, they will help select an appropriate outfit--I don't usually let them wear pink polka dots with black stripes and green and orange zig zags on those occasions. I have my limits.

 

[Colleen27]

I insist on clean and free of holes. Other than that, they choose their own outfits and I only exercise veto power for practical reasons (like when DD wants to wear a dress even when they'll have outdoor recess in the snow). DS11 always matches - you really can't mis-match jeans and t-shirts. DD8 is all over the place; some days she's perfectly matched right down to her undies and socks and others she looks like Blossom.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

When my kids were younger the only fights I really had with them were over weather appropriateness. No sandals/shorts/sleeveless in the winter!

My 13yodd will not wear long sleeve shirts ever so I can't do that. She hates pants. I will have to force her to wear those when it finally gets into the 50's.

I asked her when she is going to stop wearing her flip flops and she said, "when it starts snowing".

 

[HelenePA]

I guess I'm a mean mom. I pick out the kids clothes pretty much every school day. Weekends I dont care what they wear around the house but if we go out, I'm getting their clothes for them to wear. They dont complain. I'm not going to change it!

 

[Tink888]

My 13yodd will not wear long sleeve shirts ever so I can't do that. She hates pants. I will have to force her to wear those when it finally gets into the 50's.

I asked her when she is going to stop wearing her flip flops and she said, "when it starts snowing".

Your DD13 should meet my DS12. They're exactly the same!

 

[HelenePA]

Our school has a no shorts Oct - April policy or my kids would be wearing them to school now as well.

 

[scottishduffy]

No kids yet, but as a Nanny i pretty much let my kids where what they wanted. Thus how I discovered that my idea of 'cold' weather was much different from the 3 yr olds tolerance. I thought I was teaching her a lesson by letting her dress herself on a chilly day.... she was thrilled because for the first time she wasn't hot. She would wear layers or sleeves when she was actually cold, but I learned to let her determine her own tolerance for heat or cold. I am just very cold natured and had been making her live to my tolerances.

If they were going to school they had to have an outfit that at least matched. They could pick which outfit that was, if it was a dress i put little pants or shorts under their dresses as modesty was not a well-learned lesson at that time. For special occassions (a birthday party, or holiday event) they had to look nice and I chose. For anything else (playground, general play date, around home, simple outings) they could do whatever they want. The older one was always concerned with looking "perfect". The 3 yr old would wear tinkerbell wings. Oh well, you only have so much time in their lives to enjoy that silliness, so why not?

 

[Stacerita]

I pick my battles so as long as its clean, matches and is appropriate, then its all good. She wears a uniform to school, so she mixes and matches from what we have for that. On the weekend is usually jeans and tshirts. Sweatshirts when it gets cold. She has a few nicer shirts to wear out. But she dresses casually most of the time. If I need her to dress up, I let her know. Otherwise, she chooses.

 

[JOCAmom]

I pretty much let them pick their own clothes. Like others have said, as long as all the important parts are covered, I don't really care. I like that they are expressing the individuality even if it's not what I would have picked.

Now, if we are going to a formal function then I do help them pick something out. But I give them options on what would be acceptable for the occasion.

And I have taken my kids to the store while they are dressed in princess dresses.

 

[Grumpy~N~Dopey]

I guess I am a mean mom too. My partner or I pick out our children's clothing every day. They do have some say in what they may like to wear but we get final say. We usually hear no complaints though. our problem is our children have tons of clothes (we are shopaholics)... if we didn't pick out the clothes, the kids would wear the same clothes week after week. This way they get use of all their clothing!

 

[mjkacmom]

Absolutely not (even though my kids, in general, have done a pretty good job in this department, with some exceptions, which have been pretty funny ). I think it's actually a developmental milestone, one which my anal sister will never give her kids the benefit of (if they have to change their clothes for whatever reason, socks have to match - she's also one who locks them in the pantry as punishment...). My gf has a very creative dd6 who looks absolutely adorable in some of her fashion creations.

 

[shortbun]

clean with no profanity is my rule. DS has been picking out his own clothes since he was one. He was very picky. My son even chose his own outfit for my mother's funeral. He went to the thrift store and bought a jacket, tie, dress shoes and a long sleeved shirt. He looked great.

 

[SC Minnie]

I picked out DD's clothes every morning until she was in elem school then she could do it herself. During the toddler years there were some days she wanted to wear some strange combinations. If we were really going anywhere special I would let her wear what she wanted as long as it was clean. I figured ppl would know that she picked out her own clothes- I mean what normal adult would put a pink striped shirt, orange skirt, different color striped knee high socks, and red cowboy boots on a 3 yo. DD did love those red cowboy boots. She wanted to wear them with everything!