Love the Sommerset dress and the sailor sweater is fabulous....the bamboo bag is great. 😃 I get giving them independence, went through it with the boys. The first time they wanted crew cuts, it's just hair, the first shaved up sides ponytail on top, it's just hair (D not G) that was my montra...now they are all pretty buzzed...
Cute cute cute! Especially that white gap dress old and the navy red shorts 👀.
Gotta say, at 37 my biggest goal in life is to have the confidence of your 7yo daughter.
ALSO! I regularly get mad at my 7yo boy for never wanting to wear ANYTHING I buy for him. He only wants to wear soccer jerseys. Which are cute too but I get him really cute stuff!! But he is funny about sensory stuff, which makes him very particular about comfort and clothing. Which I TOTALLY get because same. So why does it still irk me so much?
Traci can we be best friends?! You have kids 2 years older than mine and I can already sense the wisdom you've gain in those 2 years and I want to learn from you. My son (8) has become much more opinionated about what he wears but it's in really passive ways; like just shoving things he doesn't like to the back of his drawer and rewearing what he does like over and over. But I sort of hate the things he likes (*insert embarrassed emoji here*).
So, I'm curious, do you still buy the things you like and then let them pick within that. Do you include them in the picking??! What are we doing to help foster independence?
First of all, thank you so much for reading my work! This may be a bit of a fangirl moment—I’m truly honored. I’m new around here and have been enjoying reading so many incredible publications. It’s beyond inspiring.
That is too funny! We are very much in the same stage(s) of motherhood. What I’ve probably gained in those two years are wrinkles, gray hair, and a permanent IDGAF attitude—LOL.
My daughter? Everything has to be approved by her, or she absolutely will not wear it. Both my kids struggle to tell me directly when they dislike something I’ve picked—it’s like their kryptonite. My son? Same deal. If he doesn’t approve the clothing, it gets permanently designated to the “pajama drawer,” which means it likely won’t even be worn as pajamas.
I definitely don’t have the answers to 99.9% of parenting or life, but what does work is finding items I think they’ll like, putting them in an online shopping cart, and then letting them approve or deny my picks. I’m the worst—I barely have time to brush my own hair, let alone take them to the store to choose things in person.
I used to look at what other kids were wearing and ask mine if they were interested in similar styles, but I realized I was (subconsciously) encouraging them to compare themselves to their classmates and wear things just because others were.
So TL;DR: I find things, put them in the cart, and they get the opportunity to co-sign what they like or dislike. I bite my tongue if they love something I hate—unless it’s so egregious I might explode. I try to celebrate their choices by complimenting their style (even if it’s god-awful), and I’m mindful to filter myself in a way that avoids pushing them to dress a certain way just to fit in.
This comment made me smile so much; just the solidarity of the stage we are in (which very much feels forgotten sometimes). I LOVE the preloading of a cart and getting approval. I tend to shop in giant swoops (spring/summer and fall/winter) so this really works perfect.
I *really* like what you said about not asking in comparison to other kids. Not only would my son point to the boundless sweatpants his peers wear (sorry, sweats are special occasion for us) but it also flattens personal style. Which… interestingly… is exactly what happens with grown women on the internet 🤔
I will mic drop us with a massive highlight of your quote.... "Not only would my son point to the boundless sweatpants his peers wear (sorry, sweats are special occasion for us) but it also flattens personal style. Which… interestingly… is exactly what happens with grown women on the internet 🤔"
Love the Sommerset dress and the sailor sweater is fabulous....the bamboo bag is great. 😃 I get giving them independence, went through it with the boys. The first time they wanted crew cuts, it's just hair, the first shaved up sides ponytail on top, it's just hair (D not G) that was my montra...now they are all pretty buzzed...
Thank you!! It’s true. It’s just clothing, and at times…. Heavy aggressive makeup 🫠😂
🤣
Cute cute cute! Especially that white gap dress old and the navy red shorts 👀.
Gotta say, at 37 my biggest goal in life is to have the confidence of your 7yo daughter.
ALSO! I regularly get mad at my 7yo boy for never wanting to wear ANYTHING I buy for him. He only wants to wear soccer jerseys. Which are cute too but I get him really cute stuff!! But he is funny about sensory stuff, which makes him very particular about comfort and clothing. Which I TOTALLY get because same. So why does it still irk me so much?
Same! She’s such a cool little bean… I hope she never loses that spark.
I have so many high-end athletic shorts… but for some reason, these Old Navy ones are my absolute go-tos!
We are so aligned on this, repetitive outfit choices and sensory barriers!! I don’t know why either, but if you ever figure it out, let me know lol.
Traci can we be best friends?! You have kids 2 years older than mine and I can already sense the wisdom you've gain in those 2 years and I want to learn from you. My son (8) has become much more opinionated about what he wears but it's in really passive ways; like just shoving things he doesn't like to the back of his drawer and rewearing what he does like over and over. But I sort of hate the things he likes (*insert embarrassed emoji here*).
So, I'm curious, do you still buy the things you like and then let them pick within that. Do you include them in the picking??! What are we doing to help foster independence?
First of all, thank you so much for reading my work! This may be a bit of a fangirl moment—I’m truly honored. I’m new around here and have been enjoying reading so many incredible publications. It’s beyond inspiring.
That is too funny! We are very much in the same stage(s) of motherhood. What I’ve probably gained in those two years are wrinkles, gray hair, and a permanent IDGAF attitude—LOL.
My daughter? Everything has to be approved by her, or she absolutely will not wear it. Both my kids struggle to tell me directly when they dislike something I’ve picked—it’s like their kryptonite. My son? Same deal. If he doesn’t approve the clothing, it gets permanently designated to the “pajama drawer,” which means it likely won’t even be worn as pajamas.
I definitely don’t have the answers to 99.9% of parenting or life, but what does work is finding items I think they’ll like, putting them in an online shopping cart, and then letting them approve or deny my picks. I’m the worst—I barely have time to brush my own hair, let alone take them to the store to choose things in person.
I used to look at what other kids were wearing and ask mine if they were interested in similar styles, but I realized I was (subconsciously) encouraging them to compare themselves to their classmates and wear things just because others were.
So TL;DR: I find things, put them in the cart, and they get the opportunity to co-sign what they like or dislike. I bite my tongue if they love something I hate—unless it’s so egregious I might explode. I try to celebrate their choices by complimenting their style (even if it’s god-awful), and I’m mindful to filter myself in a way that avoids pushing them to dress a certain way just to fit in.
Appreciate your support beyond words! xo
This comment made me smile so much; just the solidarity of the stage we are in (which very much feels forgotten sometimes). I LOVE the preloading of a cart and getting approval. I tend to shop in giant swoops (spring/summer and fall/winter) so this really works perfect.
I *really* like what you said about not asking in comparison to other kids. Not only would my son point to the boundless sweatpants his peers wear (sorry, sweats are special occasion for us) but it also flattens personal style. Which… interestingly… is exactly what happens with grown women on the internet 🤔
I will mic drop us with a massive highlight of your quote.... "Not only would my son point to the boundless sweatpants his peers wear (sorry, sweats are special occasion for us) but it also flattens personal style. Which… interestingly… is exactly what happens with grown women on the internet 🤔"
THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Appreciate you, xo.
Yes!!! I need to think on this more, it has my wheels turning.