You’ve probably read articles with titles like “How to dress your kid” or “suitable clothing for older kids”. These are good articles that will provide information and tips about what is good clothing for your children, but there is a lot more to dressing your kids than that. Dressing your kids should involve allowing them to make choices too. If you have children who are 7 years and older, you should cultivate a habit of allowing them to decide what they want to wear.
As much as you can find a lot of content online about how to dress your kids or from your own dressing experience, you should refrain from dressing your kids the way you were dressed when you were young or as your favorite character. You should never fall into the trap of shunning your children and belittling their opinion.
Here are 7 other reasons parents should not be too controlling when it comes to dressing their kids who are above the age of 7.
1. Kids have pride in their choices
Kids who are allowed to decide what they want to wear grow up to have pride in their choices.
Children who are allowed to chose their own dressing are more confident in public. They find it easy to make new friends and relate with others. They can choose the colors they want to wear, choose the clothes they are comfortable in, and also have a voice in their clothes. They can also express themselves better and learn how to care for their clothes because it is their choice.
2. It reduces the stress of being the one to buy everything you want your child to wear even when they are old enough
Being one to always choose or decide your child’s dress and clothing makes you the only one that buys what your child will wear all the time. This attitude may stick with you even after your children are old enough to pick the right clothes. You begin to carry the burden of always deciding and buying their dresses. You find it hard to allow others to help or even your kid to make suggestions.This can become stressful as your family becomes larger. Training your kids on how to dress and appropriate clothings can help your child become independent in dressing.
3. Your kids cultivate better decision-making skills
Giving your children the chance to choose their clothes and dresses helps them cultivate their decision-making skills and abilities. They’re able to say no to what they don’t like and yes to what they like.
It is always wise to teach good decision-making skills to kids from a young age. It will empower them, teach responsibility, nurture creativity, and foster a sense of value.
Imparting this skill to kids at a young age will improve their analytical and critical thinking. It will also lead to good mental health and promotion of the physical and social well-being of the kids.
It’ll make them responsible, independent, and confident. Decision-making for kids is usually a little complex. It takes practice and improves with experience. So it is best to let your children start gradually.
Start with letting your children make small choices as what socks to wear. This will teach them to think ahead. With each right decision, they will grow to be confident and smart kids who are prepared to make significant life choices.
4. You won’t need to worry about clothing for occasions for your kids. You can focus on other needs for your children that they can’t handle on their own
When you allow your kids to choose their own dressing, it instills self-awareness and confidence in the kids. And the best part is you don’t have to bother about what they will wear all the time. This also helps the kids focus on finding choices that align with their goals.
Picking their dresses is an age-appropriate decision-making skill for 7-year-olds.
Toddlers can also try to make their own clothing choices. For instance, as toddlers, you can ask your kids to choose between simple things like which colour of socks or shoes they want to wear.
As they then grow older, you can ask them to pick an extra choice of clothing until they can put an entire outfit together. Practicing making good choices and taking small steps from a young age helps develop their reasoning skills.
5.They get to wear what motivates them and this thought lasts forever
The clothes that a person wears often play a vital role in their daily lives, interpersonal relationships, social situations, and in the professional environment. Children’s dressing and clothes affects their mood, and plays a great role in first impressions too.
6.Your child will trust you more and vice versa.
A show of mutual respect between child and parent is one of the best ways to get your child to trust you deeply. You can exhibit this by giving your child the opportunity to decide what to wear.
While your job is to teach respect, it’s also to show respect. This also means you need to show your child that you respect them as well as their choices. When a child grows up respected, they are more able to confide in and trust their parents.
Allowing your child to develop the ability to dress up themselves helps them know that you trust them. This makes them trust you too and believe in you.
7. It teaches them how to dress and how to care for their clothes
Having instilled the ability to select appropriate outfits in your kids, you have successfully given them a gift that will last for a long time. When they get older, their wardrobe will look great and they can pass on good dressing abilities to other generations.
When your kids have the opportunity to pick from 2 preferred options it is also a way of teaching them decision-making.
You can also help your children by teaching them about the weather when they are choosing clothes. Teach your child about hot, cold, rainy, or sunny weather. Also, teach your child how to recognize dirty and clean clothes.
Also in helping your children become free to decide what to wear, store your children’s clothing in drawers and cupboards that your children can access easily. Label clothing drawers with a picture or word to describe the clothing that’s in the drawer.
The ability to get dressed by themselves, helps your children develop different skills. These include:
fine motor skills
cognitive skills
Fashion skills
General knowledge
Kids enjoy choosing their clothes from a young age. They become more aware of dressing and different types of dresses as they grow older.
Some parents of younger children who believe in the effectiveness of letting their children choose, help the kids by presenting alternatives to choose from. For instance, a parent can ask her 4 year old child to choose whether to wear a blue sweater or a red sweater. A parent can ask her daughter if she”ll love to wear a gown or pants. These are some of the ways to get your child involved in the process of dressing them up.
If you however have dressing suggestions or ideas better than that of your kids,it is best to convince them and not force them to wear what you decide. Also it is by constantly allowing your child to take part in the deciding what to wear process that you become able to teach them how to choose the best clothes. You should not forcefully control or command them.