This morning, my daughter came downstairs wearing an outfit so bad, it was offensive to my eyes.
My husband helped her come up with it and I know she was being difficult because she wanted to wear a dress (it’s way too cold), so I really didn’t want to say anything.
Between the colored, glittery writing on the shirt that clashed with the bright red pants, the baggy blue t-shirt that looked even worse when tucked in with no belt, and the layering that made everything else look bulkier and more misshapen, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut or avoid looking for alternatives.
I usually do. In most cases, I don’t mind so much when she’s trying to come up with her own outfits (on the weekends, and even within reason on school days), adding five pounds of brightly colored jewelry and a metallic purple crown on top.
I applaud the creativity and the appreciation for beautiful plastic beads. Really.
Instead of saying, “That outfit hurts my eyes,” I suggested taking the blue shirt off and just leaving the white turtleneck on, or tossing both shirts back into the drawer and replacing them with a black long-sleeved crewneck.
It wasn’t happening.
I suggested different pants. She was attached to the red ones.
Finally, after the two of them teamed up on me, we were able to compromise by adding a black belt. You know, to match the ballet slipper-style shoes she’d put on. Plus it just bugs me when shirts are tucked in and unused belt loops are visible.
They left the house that way. She was happy and told me she thought her outfit was awesome. I guess that’s all that matters.
Do you draw the line on weekends or days off from school when your kids are experimenting with their style, or do you let them wear what they want most of the time?
Photo credit: kellyv
