"Just My Style" Handbook

I had to laugh this morning as I let my 2 year old head off to school having selected her own outfit for the day (before I woke up at 6am). She came downstairs wearing VERY proudly (in the middle of March) a summer smocked gingham top, pajama bottoms (shorts), and then proceeded to march out the door in her snow boots .... "just in case" she said in her "big girl voice." I threw the "right seasonal clothing" in her school bag for her teachers to fight the battle (if they felt it was necessary) and off we went. Her spirit was still in tact and she was SO proud of her accomplishment.

I contrast her choices with my now 8 1/2 year old third grader who is wanting so desperately to be "in fashion" and wearing the clothes of her own choosing. The only difference is that at age 8 she is capable of learning a few fashion "do's and don'ts" - such as we don't mix a plaid with a stripe. We don't wear tank tops in winter (unless as an undergarmet) and suede boots in summer look a little "silly" in church. The really delicate fact is that at age 8 her feelings are hurt very easily and I want to set her up for successful choices of HER choosing in her closet. My ultimate goal ~ to let HER make good choices while keeping her "spirit" and "self confidence" in tact.

Our mutual solution? We went SPRING shopping together at Old Navy where I knew there would be fashionable choices she would love at a price I could afford. Before we went, we took an inventory of her existing closet contents so we knew what we needed and what we already had. That way she had a good idea of pieces we should purchase that would "extend" her existing closet contents.

After taking our list of "needs" to Old Navy I let her do her own shopping with gentle guidance. I followed her through the store with the shopping cart letting her put her "ideas" in the cart. Then I let her inventory the items she thought would "go together" and we headed to the dressing room to try on her choices. As she tried them on, I made little suggestions like "a jean jacket would look GREAT over that sundress if you were cold when we are at the beach this summer." OR "that striped shirt will look great with a pair of white capris AND pink capris." We had a BALL together and we left having educated each other on 3rd grade "fashion" and "wardrobing."

Our next step was to have a "fashion show" at home with her new outfits. I had her try on all her new clothes and then added pieces from her existing wardrobe to show her how the pieces we already had at home would fit together with her new ones! We had the best time and she made "model" poses while I snapped away.

I then developed the photos I took of her in the outfits and put them in a really cool "Style Book" that she keeps in her room. Now, when she can't remember what is appropriate to wear to church, all she does is flip to the "church outfit" section of her style book and see the outfits we put together for her to wear ~ including shoes & accessories!

She LOVES her style book and now does not need to ask me if what she has selected "goes together." She just looks in her style book that SHE helped to create!

Mission Accomplished ~ Budget Friendly Shopping with 3rd Grade Style & A Self-Confident 8 Year Old Making GOOD Choices