I think that I might have a problem with
wordiness. These posts all seem so much shorter in my head, and then I start
typing, and it’s like I have a bad case of overflowitis.
Since one purpose of this blog is to work on my
writing, I’m going to edit a previous post for conciseness. Or re-write it,
whichever is easier:
Number four of 101 Things Parents Can Do to Help Children is: Analyze your child's
wardrobe and build a wardrobe aimed at 1) freedom of movement, 2) independence,
and 3) freedom from distraction.
My children’s wardrobes were mostly free, as in we’ve spent maybe $300 of
our own money on our kids’ clothes in three years. I’m not going to analyze
that too much because truthfully, the free part has been awesome.
Firstly, THANK YOU to the awesome woman who gives
us all of her boys’ hand-me-downs!
Okay, so on with the wardrobe analysis.
1) I’m happy to say that all of the big-boy
clothes allow for freedom of movement, no questions asked. They mostly consist
of sweat-pants and comfy jeans, comfy t-shirts and cozy sweaters. The only time
they hinder movement is if the pants are too big and they keep falling down, or
if they’re too small; I now have bins marked “Too Big” and “Too Small” and as
we find these items, they get set aside for later or for Kid #2, respectively. And,
they were all free.
As for kid #2, he’s starting to crawl, and
sometimes his legs get jammed up in the sleeper; when that happens we change
him into pants and a shirt, and his freedom of movement is back. And, they were
all free.
#1) Check.
2) I’m guessing that by independence they mean
that the kids should be able to dress themselves. Socks on by himself: check.
Pants on by himself: check. Shirts on by himself: check-ish. Jackets: not so
much. Shoes: check 90% of the time!
Independence for K2: yeah, his view on that is
struggle vigorously while you try to dress him because “MOM! I said I want to
roll OVER! LET ME GO!!!” He’s starting to get the hang of pushing his own arm
through a sleeve, but he still doesn’t tuck his thumb in, so it can be a bit
tricky, especially when he’s vigorously struggling… We’ll wait a bit before we
require him to dress himself.
Hmm. Maybe by independence they mean individuality.
K1 can pick an orange shirt and green pants and blue socks and if that’s what
he wants to wear, that’s what he gets to wear. Double check. If he loves what
he’s wearing, and it’s free, awesome.
#2) Check.
3). Do my kids find their clothes distracting? Only
when the sizing fit is an issue, and that’s just a matter of dresser
management. Easy fix. Otherwise, nothing at the playground ever stops them.
And, at this age, they don’t care that they’re free. Every new bag is awesome.
#3) Check.
The wardrobe has passed.
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