A Unique Sense of Style

I have a hard time relinquishing control. There it is, I admit it. Before I had kids, I knew this woman whose son would only wear swim trunks, snow boots and t-shirts. So, every day that's what he wore. With the exception of Sundays, when church attire was necessary, the kid had a standard uniform. While it was quite the conversation starter, I remember wondering how in the world she could let her son out of the house looking like that. I just knew that when I had children they'd always be dressed adorably. Their outfits would match and people would comment on how cute my kids look. I would have control of their appearance.

Funny story. I had kids and lost control. Well, atleast of their clothing choices. Jax most days will only wear a shirt with a monster truck on it. We have about 20. Every time we go to a clothing store he is sure I browse the racks for monster truck shirts.

On occasion, he'll forgo the monster truck shirt for Ninja Turtles or Star Wars, but that's about it. Usually, his pants aren't a problem but he has an odd affinity for a pair of blue galoshes that look like sharks WHICH he likes to tuck his pants in.

And Ava, my sweet little girl who I dressed so adorably in her early years is now a little fashionista. Each day she chooses her own ensemble, right down to the accessories. And we get something that looks a little like this:

Let's go over this shall we? We've got the pink scarf that actually belonged to Andy's grandma. Ava found it as we cleaned out Grandma's house after her death and just HAD to have it. Next, we have the butterfly rhinestone shirt and a color block skirt. Not too bad. But look closely at what's below the skirt, those, dear readers are blue leggings with large sunflowers on them. They're Ava's favorite leggings. Next, we have a pair of purple Fancy Nancy socks (if you've read the books, you know why these socks are so appropriate) and brown Mary Janes. She LOVES this outfit! It's a pretty accurate representation of what she wears on a daily basis. Initially, I had a hard time letting her choose her outfits. It's one of those things I wanted to have control of. I mean, my kids' appearance is a direct reflection of me, right? Did Ava's outfit make it seem as if I didn't have it together. Is any of this important. NO! Because, when I realized the confidence it gave her, when I saw her admiring her ensemble in the mirror before school, I was okay with losing control. My little girl is growing up. She's developing her own sense of style and using it to express herself. I love that. One day, she'll be a teenager, she'll be obsessed with her appearance and clothes. I'll long for the days when she was little and carefree and happy to wear this:

 

 Or this: