The hardest part of being a parent is letting your children make mistakes. I mean, that’s what we’re here for, right? To help our kids avoid the mistakes we’ve made. But then I think about how I learned those hard lessons, and it was because I fell. I made the mistake and moved on. So I know I need to let my children fall every now and then. However, that’s easier said than done.
Rule 21 in Richard Templar’s The Rules of Parenting is about letting kids make their own choices. While this chapter deals more with teaching children to be independent and letting them make mistakes once they are in their early teenage years, there is also a part concerning the earlier years. Templar states that something as simple as letting kids choose their own clothes to wear when they’re two will start a parent out on the road to letting their child be independent. I thought about this uncomplicated choice, and decided that letting my 3 year old daughter choose her outfit for the day was the wise option. I mean, what could go wrong with that?
Sparkly red ballet shoes, a plaid hat, brown capri pants, and a maroon sweater. Those are the items that could make this experiment go wrong. My daughter loves her clothes and she decided that wearing all of her favorite clothes at once would be the most fabulous thing in the world. I laughed at her choices, but I let her keep them on. We went to the store and to my mother’s house that day, and I had never seen my daughter so happy. She pranced right up to her grandma and said “Look how beautiful I am!” I have to admit that seeing her so proud of herself was worth every odd look from people passing by us. From that day forward I have let my daughter choose her own outfits, except for the occasional special event. And she has gotten much better about picking out clothes that match. Now she just wants to wear dresses.
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