Colors Don't Clash

Jordan walked out of his room wearing his new green and gray plaid shorts and his favorite purple and yellow-stripped polo shirt, a fashion disaster according to rules of style and color coordination, but not according to Jordan. He smiled at me, proud of his bright colors, his new clothes, and his ability to get himself dressed. He had no clue it didn’t match, and of course he didn’t care.

So, why did I care? Maybe it’s because I look at too many magazines showing adorable kids in their matching clothes, or walk through too many malls and admire the children’s clothing displays, or because all of my friend’s children always look so charming.

I’m sure my upbringing and lessons in how to dress for success play a role in my fashion expectations for my children. Whatever the reason, I had to bite my tongue to not ask him to go change his clothes. And I had to squelch the urge I felt to take his hand, walk him back into his bedroom, open his drawers and pull out the solid green shirt I bought to go with those plaid shorts and then somehow bribe him into wearing it. But as I looked at him and saw his big, bright, chocolate brown eyes and his sweet smile, I chose not to care. Besides, he looked adorable in all those colors.

That’s when I decided children, should be allowed their own set of rules when it comes to fashion. This encourages children’s self-sufficiency, creativity and confidence, and also makes my life a little easier. So, here are our family’s seven golden rules for toddler fashion, (subject to change as they grow older.)

Rule #1 - Colors Don’t Clash – Just ask God. All of creation is filled with beautiful, vibrant colors all mixed together¾colors that take your breath away. So, let children wear as many colors as they want.

Rule #2- Mismatched Socks Are Cool – Sorting socks out of the dryer is at the bottom of my “to do” list each day. To me, it’s a huge waste of time¾time I could use to push my child in the park swing, take cookies to a sick neighbor, or finish an article like this one. So, we keep a basket by the dryer, drop the socks into it, and then my kids pick and choose their favorites and wear those, not caring whether they match or not.
Rule #3 – Costumes Can be Worn Year Round – Children love to wear costumes so why limit it to one day a year? Besides those costumes are costly, you might as well get your money’s worth.

Rule # 4 – Crazy Hair Day is Any Day – Some days the hair brushing battle is just not worth it. Make it fun by letting the child do whatever he or she wants with his/her hair. Brush it straight up, or put in all sorts of pony tails with fun ribbons, or go out with bed head, whatever works for you and your child.
Rule # 5– Wearing Something Two Days in A Row is Okay– Most children have a few favorite items they like to wear, over and over and over again. As long as it’s not dirty, I let my boys keep out their clothes for the next day. This saves me the time of doing a load of laundry, and prevents the battle of getting everyone dressed on time.

Rule # 6– Shoes Should be Comfortable – There are lots of adorable shoes in the world but very few that are really comfortable. Children should be able to run and play all day so comfortable shoes are a must. My boys favorite are their snow boots, if they wear shoes at all during the summer, most likely it’ll be their big comfy boots.

Rule # 7 –Looking Good on the Inside Matters Most - The pressure to look perfect begins at an early age. As a mom I want to make sure my children know that what matters most is on the inside, not what they wear on the outside. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord Looks at the heart.”

Next time Jordan comes walking down the stairs in his purple shirt, plaid green shorts, mis-matched socks and snow boots, I'll take his hand in mine and say,"Let's go."