Agreeing on What Your Grade School Child Wears to School

Stopping the Clothing Struggles

Ms. Wettin, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Mar 13, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Most moms with grade school children will agree that school mornings can be extremely hectic. The last thing a parent wants to do in the morning is deal with a child having a meltdown. The choice of clothing is a common power struggle in many households with children. Parents and grade school children often disagree on what clothes are suitable for school.

The following scenario is all too common in many homes. The child emerges from his or her room wearing clothes that are the wrong season, don't match, and the mother even has to question if the clothes are clean. The mom tells the child to change. The child gets upset, and thus, the power struggle begins. By the time the child is dressed acceptably, both mom and child are upset, not to mention late for school.

To prevent power struggles like this in your household, you can take a few actions that will help diffuse the tension.

Go Shopping Together

Let your child pick out his or her own clothes, but you should have the final say. If your grade schooler picks out something that you despise, say no now, rather than argue with him or her every time your child chooses to wear it. Encourage your child to choose jeans and/or khakis which will be easy to match tops with.

Organize Your Child's Closet

Separate clothes that are acceptable for school. Also separate the clothes according to season. Show your grade school child what area of the closet he or she can choose from when picking clothes to wear to school.

Let Your Child Pick Out His or Her Clothes

After you take the steps above, leave the rest to your child. It is more important that your child knows you trust his or her judgment, than whether he or she is always perfectly dressed. If your child wears mix-matched clothes to school one day, it is not the end of the world. If you let the power struggle over clothes continue you could chip away at the foundation of your relationship.

If All Else Fails

If you are still cannot stand his or her style, work together. The key to this is doing it the evening before. Together with your child, pick out an outfit that you both agree on. Mornings are too hectic and oftentimes tempers are at their worst. Choosing clothes the night before will make for smoother mornings.

Published by Ms. Wettin

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