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Monday, December 7, 2009

My girl.

As a parent you learn early on to pick your battles.  And one of the battles I have consistantly chosen to let Sarah win is the battle over what she is going to wear.

She loves to choose her own outfits.  And she loves to mix stripes with polka-dots or flower patterns with plaids.  I have filled her closet with solids and patterns yet she never chooses to combine them the way I want her to.

And I'm okay with that.  Sort of.

I have learned to let it go because after all it was only preschool. So who cares what she looks like. And now it's only kindergarten. So who cares what she looks like.

However, occassionaly we do go out in public and I do care what she looks like.

Two weeks ago we took Peter and his friend Colton to the Lego store for his birthday.  While the boys were in their class we were going to walk around the mall.  (Theoretically we were going to shop but as much as she loves clothes, she hates to shop.)  And then we were going out to dinner afterward.

Two days before our outing, Sarah chose to wear some cute leggings underneath a sheath dress.  (The dress was from last year and was actually a size too small so it looked more like a long shirt.)  And the leggings were solid and the dress was stipped and it. was. adorable.

The next day she chose to wear a pair of leggings underneath a skirt that had small polka dots on it and a solid colored shirt.  And it. was. adorable.

On the morning of our outing I told her to pick an outfit and I was so excited to see what she was going to choose this time.  After all, she had done so well the two previous days I figured I had nothing to worry about.

Boy was I ever wrong.




And no amount of calm dissuasion would change her mind.  And when I saw how excited she was with her outfit, I decided to let it go.  After all.  It was only the mall and dinner.

I will admit though that I was a tad embarrassed when she turned heads while she was prancing through the mall, bracelets jingling and grinning from ear to ear.

And it didn't take long for me to push my feelings of embarrassment aside.

She felt good about herself.

And as a woman, I know those feelings will be fleeting.  I hope they aren't but I know how mixed up things get inside our heads. 

I hope she always feels good about the way she looks.  And I hope she never cares if she turns a curious head. 

She's beautiful.  And she's my girl.

15 comments:

Robin hill farm said...

That is so sweet. And she is adorable. Matching clothes or not. :)

Colleen said...

Wish I had the confidence to pull that off! Whenever I see little girls dressed crazy, I ALWAYS assume that they dressed themselves, so no need for moms to get embarrassed.

Mari said...

That's quite a look! And she pulls it off with her confident smile!

RR Mama said...

I only wish I could I be more like you when I grow up. My OCD tendencies take over and the boys don't stand a chance. But when you are a boy and all you have are blue jeans, kakhi pants and plaid shorts I guess I shouldn't have that much to worry about.

Susan R said...

LOL. Yes, I've had to learn to pick my battles as well. Ironically the same one. I'm a picky person, so I set out 3 choices for my little girl to choose from. It's a win win I guess.

Annikke said...

I remember telling my friend (a mother of 3 grown children) that I was horrified at some of the outfits my daughter puts together and she told me one time her middle child (a girl) had put together the worst outfit to go shopping in. She wore red cowboy boots with her turquoise sparkly skirt and hot pink shirt. BUT that's not all, she also decided she needed to wear her swimming suit...over the top of the outfit.

After picturing that I decided my daughter doesn't do too bad afterall!

Sarah looks beautiful!

Jessica Ryan said...

You know, she totally pulls it off! she is adorable! Don't squash her independence and creativity. In a few years from now she will wear outfits that in your mind are obscene, hideous, inappropriate, etc... then you might have to win the battle. But judging by this picture she certainly came out victorious!!!

Jaina said...

Sarah is absolutely adorable. I'm glad that you let her show her independence in this way...it's the little things :)

Angelica Bays, TygrLilies.blogspot.com said...

Good Job, Mama!
Our whole family now emulates my nieces' purposely unmatched socks motif.
;o)

jennwa said...

I love it. I bet she was the most adorable child in the mall.

rhemashope said...

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I love her confidence, I love her style.

Kim said...

I think she looks cute! She will probably grow up to be a fashion designer.

The Accidental Mommy said...

Cute- my daughter has those same pants!

Corey~living and loving said...

You are a great mom. As much as I'd like to think, I'd be okay with it...I think I wouldn't. I am such a picture taker, that it bothers me when she doesn't match at least a little bit. I don't care if her hair is a mess, but the clothes can't clash. LOL Good thing for me....she doesn't care what she wears. I always get to choose. whew...

BlondeMomBlog (Jamie) said...

Too sweet. My girls have put together very "interesting" outfits and I've just had to turn my head. I did draw the line last night, however, when the 7-year-old wanted to wear her Barbie sandals to the grocery store with her Daddy. It was only about 38 degrees outside!