My daughter can be very amusing, as all daughters and sons can be sometimes. She’s especially funny when she tries out new words. Her current interest in words appears to be fashion. Overheard the other day, while my daughter played with the pet rats, “Sorrel, you are looking very attractive today. Parsley, you haven’t been grooming much, have you?” Lately, I’ve been told that I look ridiculous and that I look stylish. We’re trying out the words and the fashion sense around here, I see.
Preschoolers definitely have a distinctive sense of style. I blame my daughter’s fashion sense on my own lack of fashion sense, to a degree. We don’t do socks all that often around here. The colors don’t always match. And yes, my daughter has been known to wear a fairy dress to church, although with our church’s fairly liberal dress codes, she fit right in.
I know a number of children who just love to dress up, and dress up they do, day after day. One little guy wears a now-tattered cape everywhere he goes. Another wears a pair of striped leggings, a skirt, and fairy wings. Preschoolers are asserting their individuality through clothing, and it’s fun to see.
At preschool the other day, our teacher was reading a book. In the book, a child was getting his shirt on. The teacher asked the children if they could put their shirts on now. They nodded proudly. Dressing yourself and choosing your clothing is a big step for preschoolers, and not one that I’m willing to step on. Our preschool also lets the children decide if they want to wear a jacket, just like I have always done. Granted, we live in a temperate climate that rarely falls below zero, so there is little danger of frostbite. Still, it’s a choice that preschoolers are able to make, and it gives them some dominion over their own bodies.
Do you let your preschooler choose his own clothing? What would you let your child wear?