Children and clothing

if I had kids I would encourage them to wear whatever they want to

I let my 4 year old wear what he wants, any raised eyebrows he gets I proudly let people know he dressed himself- I find it usually gets a knowing smile and a giggle from other parents. My concern is the type of clothing that is available for pre-teen and early teen girls :S I have found I have had to become rather strict in what I allow my daughter to pick when shopping for clothes

I wouldn't worry about the mismatched cloths they are learning how to take care of themselves. I might suggest if I see them mismatch but I wouldn't push it. One of the parents when I worked at a child care development had a really neat idea. What she did was hang matched outfits up and on a rod at a lower level so her child could reach it. She let him know he could pick what ever outfit he wanted but they had to be from the same hanger. She would always be concerned when her boy would pick mismatched clothing items and she said that is the way she solved it. I think this is a nice idea. The child still gets to pick out what they want to wear and the parent is comfortable with their choice. Not having to worry whether their cloths match or not. Her child was four.

When I put clothes away I hang things up together that match to make it easier to pick something out. But if he wants to wear something else I let him. I think children should be allowed to pick their own outfits. Who cares if it doesn't match? There will be years to worry about what they are wearing, young children should be able to express their creativity their own way.

I let my son pick out his clothes to an extent. Ill pick out 2 or 3 things and then let him decide which ones he wants to put on. This goes for everything, from his undies to socks. If he picks something that dosent match... Oh well hes 3. There will be time enough for him to match later. If we are going somewhere nice, or getting pictures done then im a bit pickey about his looks. But only then.

Yes, I have made extra sure to reiase my sons with a knowledge of proper dressing habits and to intsill them witha want and need to look there best at all times.