Helping your children dress better.....

[Ub_Iwerks]

Shallow as it may sound, I never wanted to be the mom walking around with the kid that had everyone saying, "He/ She must dress themselves". I've never heard anyone make that statement in an "Oh that is so adorable. He/ She must dress themselves." They're either laughing at (not with) or rolling their eyes over the situation. I personally couldn't care less how anyone dresses, that includes kids. (I do draw the line at vulgar.) I just never wanted to be the parent being talked about.

See, if some adult is making comments and talking about my lack of parenting because of what my 6 year old is wearing, then that shows how shallow THAT PERSON is. Frankly, I have no respect for an adult who is ridiculing a child and could care less about their opinion. I want my kids to be nice, polite, and eager to learn. What they wear to school is way down on my priority list.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

My husband's mother always picked out his clothes, very nice ones I'm sure, but to this day he can't match his clothes together and commits many of the faux pas described here. Give up a little control, moms. This is one area where it doesn't really matter for their everyday wear.

That may be true in some situations, but in my family the exact opposite is true. As I mentioned earlier in a previous post, my DS(14) is much better at matching his clothes than my DH is. My DH grew up fending for himself & still has no idea how his clothes should look together. My DS has always been able to choose what he wore, but his choice was made from prematched outfits. He now knows what goes together & what doesn't.

See, if some adult is making comments and talking about my lack of parenting because of what my 6 year old is wearing, then that shows how shallow THAT PERSON is. Frankly, I have no respect for an adult who is ridiculing a child and could care less about their opinion. I want my kids to be nice, polite, and eager to learn. What they wear to school is way down on my priority list.

Maybe it is shallow, but IME the majority of people in this country are shallow then. Not necessarily about what someone's child is wearing, but people do judge parents for everything their children do. You didn't quote that particular statement, but in the same post you quoted I stated that the remarks are never directed at the kids. Noone judges a child for anything they do. It's the parents that are under the microscope, & are being judged. I didn't make up the rules, that's just the way it is.

It wasn't my intention to get into a debate over this issue. I was just being honest about things I've heard. I wasn't specific about what those things are. Basically, it's the same 3 responses over & over, & I didn't want them to be perceived as being my words rather than what I've heard repeatedly. I personally can't stand gossiping or talking behind people's backs. I try to ignore the statements as much as possible. However, I do try to be a realist, & realize most people aren't like me in that regard. I've actually been tempted to tell some parents what is being said about them, because I truly felt bad for them. I ended up keeping it to myself, because I was afraid that they they wouldn't take it the way it was intended. People shouldn't talk behind other's back, but unfortunately they do. All you need to do is read the DIS for an hour to see that it happens frequently.

 

[kellyg403]

Matching clothes?....I have to fight about wearing underwear AND socks everyday! All kidding aside during schooltime, ds has to lay out his school clothes the night before so I can give the final o.k. He picks, I approve. Not that he really cares much. He and his friends are too busy deciding what the other had for lunch from the stains on their t-shirts.

During the summer, unless we go out in public I don't worry so much. At the beginning of summer he gets 5 bathing suits and wears them all summer. Used to bug me but then I realized I had very little laundry so he won!

Kelly

 

[sameyeyam]

I say let the kids wear what they want, as long as you aren't going someplace special (wedding, nice restaurant, family pictures, freezing weather, etc...).

I let the weatherman decide what my kids could wear. If it's 70 degrees they can wear shorts or tank top. If it's 80 degrees they can wear both. If the weatherman shows rain in the morning they have to take a jacket or sweater. That way it's not my fault that they don't get to wear what they want, no arguments. It's the weatherman's fault!!!! I don't even get into the discussion, when they ask if they can wear shorts I say go watch the news!

 

[JVL1018]

You just made me feel so much better! I am pulling my hair out trying to get DS4 to dress himself. He can now put on his underwear, shorts and sandals, and ALMOST put on his shirt, but he has always had this thing about having his arms stuck and that panics him (poor thing, probably because I swaddled him, they told us babies LIKED that!) so I usually have to unstick him.

He's nowhere close to able to do any fasteners or even socks and shoes.

He prefers to be naked, and failing that, if I insist, he'll wear his underwear ony.
.

The problem is my son likes to be fully clothed INCLUDING socks and sneakers from when he gets dressed until he puts on his PJs.
It drives me crazy..it's summer, walk around the house barefoot! Or at least just socks.
I make him take his sneakers off when he gets home from Rec because they're all dirty. He does..and then gets another pair for me to put on him.

I foughgt the battle with him the last two days.

He can do it, he really is just lazy. the other day he was wearing a bathrobe after his bath and then came out with a leather belt around his bathrobe, his sister laughed, so, encouraged, he came out again with a shirt on top of that, more laughter, back into his room, shorts and THEN underwear and a button up shirt(unbuttoned) on top of the Tshirt.
Sister is now hysterical, so he goes back AGAIN and comes out with yet another pair of shorts and underwear on top of that, around his calves.

Sooo..the next day I told him to get dressed by himself and he said "I caaaan't"

I said "Fine, we'll go to Target with you in your pajamas then."

He got dressed, I just had to tuck in his shirt (his new thing, )and put on his socks.

I felt like going up to him and yelling HA!! I win, I win!!!!