Addressing Dresses

If you want me to address the issues of raising a 3 to 4-year-old daughter, the thing about dressess would first come to my mind.

Even since Sienna turned 3-years-old, it is dresses all the time, day and night, sleep and awake. She was already awakened for pretty clothes long before that. I anticipated the problem of obsession long before that. So I set up a rule. No dresses during the week days. Only over the weekends. "It is not convenient to climb up the slide or go on a swing..." I justified my ruling. Then I met the teacher who said, "Oh, of course she can wear a dress to come to school."

With an intention of being a good and reasonable parent, I lifted the "week day dress ban" suddenly and completely. And there was no going back. The problem is there aren't many dresses available at the store for winter wear. And we have a good supply of hand-me-down clothes that includes a lot of pants. I cannot support her obsession all the way.

So we got this on-going negotiation started about what to wear on a daily basis. She learnt to check the weather on channel 24. A snowy day is a dress day, according to Mommy. Any numbers that has a "-" in front of it is not looking good for dress either. Wearing dress could also be a reward for her good behavour. Another thing is which dress to wear.

I try my best to outguess her likes and dislikes. Not too difficult to do anyways. Pink always wins. Flower the runner up. At certain point of time, I will have to say "no." She will take it.

My friend Sandra told me around 6 and 7, girls like Sienna will grow out of this girlie girlie stage. I feel I had enough fun with this already.