Who knew that a 3 year old could be soooo particular about her daily outfit? Olivia has always liked clothes and even more, shoes. On a fall shoe shopping trip a few months ago, she begged for some brown boots she'd spotted.
I'd picked out some cute brown mary janes, but she was so insistent on those boots that I thought "what the heck, they are brown, they are appropriate for fall, and she will be happy to have participated in the decision". Fast forward...she WILL NOT wear those brown boots. I've tried everything...showed her how mommy wears boots, showed her that Lilly in one of her books wears boots, showed her how they match her outfits (because we are REALLY into matching)...but nothing works.
She is also very particular about her clothes. She has an array of cute outfits, but she will consistently pick out the same ones over and over again--a dress with pink tights and her "big sister" outfits are among her favorites--and avoids some alltogether. And by avoid, I mean we will have a major fashion meltdown if I even suggest that she try a different outfit. It makes me wonder what it is she has against the "reject" clothes. She also MUST match both her socks and her underwear to her clothes. And those socks better be on right side out and twisted into the perfect place. Are you seeing a theme? It is a bit worrisome (do I have an OCD child??!!).
Well, I started a new morning process a couple weeks ago since, as you can imagine, the one above takes quite some time. I took all of her clothes out of her room and put them on a shelf in the laundry room (ha, I confess. I actually put them on top of the dryer in completely disorganized piles. But saying I put them on a "shelf" makes me sound so much better!). Then I put no more than 3 outfits at a time in her dresser. Once she goes through those 3, I give her three more. Clothes rationing--that is a legitimate parenting technique, right? The funny thing is that she thinks all of her clothes in the laundry room are dirty so she's not interested in them. I just roll with it because it is easier that way (that is probably not good parenting, but oh well).
And besides, it is working. This morning she left for school in an outfit she has historically refused to wear with the brown boots on her feet.
Not good parenting? Are you kidding me? Girl, that is a great idea! I wish I'd thought of that when Ava was 3 cause we sure went round and round sometimes! And I don't think she's OCD, I think she's just 3. I guess they have so little control over what goes on in most of their lives, that clothing is one area they can try to have some say.
ReplyDeleteYou are good!
Thanks Amy. You know what is funny? Yesterday she came home from school in a different outfit, which usually signals a potty accident. But, she told me she only had a "pretend" accident so that she could "wear this beautiful shirt"--her spare potty accident clothes at school. I thought for a moment that I had been outwitted by a 3 year old, but a conversation with her teacher revealed she did indeed have an accident at naptime. Now I just have a creative storyteller on my hands. :)
ReplyDelete