Winning the Wardrobe Wars

“She is sensible.”
At our house, that is the highest form of praise a girl can get.
As opposed to the biggest insult which is “She is silly!” Translated: boy-crazy.
As the mom of a boy, I can’t help but notice some of the girls’ wardrobe tendencies. I have a few ideas for moms out there who will be gearing up to take their daughters Christmas shopping for clothes.
First, please, let little girls stay little as long as you can. Please.
Especially in elementary school, little girls do not need to show up dressed like rock stars.
Those outfits are fun costumes for home and for pretend, but please come to school dressed for success.
Secondly, dressing for success is a good idea for Junior High and older, too.
Moms, here is some ammunition to share at the mall with your daughters when you need reinforcements to win the wardrobe wars.
-Boys’ moms are busy pointing out the girls who are not behaving sensibly.
-We are training our sons to be kind, but recognize girls who are needy.
-We identify needy girls not only by how they behave, but also by how they dress.
-We are teaching our sons to avoid girls who dress vavoom-ishly. So, that cute, tight top she wants might become the very reason a boy avoids her.
-A consistent smile and kindness are the things most boys finds interesting in a girl.
-If a girl is a good listener, a good tutor, and a good athlete, she will earn the respect of her peers, including the boys. Unless, of course, her clothes are distracting.
-All the boys’ moms talk. We know who the girls are that are respected by our sons.
-We try not to say anything unkind about anyone, but we can’t help but know who is getting the wrong kind of attention. Please tell your daughters that while they will attract some attention with vavoom-y outfits, it probably won’t be attention they want.
-Boys don’t like it when the girl asks out the boy, my son added.
“Don’t date ‘til college,” was his comment when I asked his opinion about this column.
Not bad advice if a kid’s goal is to be successful.
Waiting to date, as opposed to being boy-crazy, for example, takes all the pressure off of a girl’s wardrobe, too. It gives a girl plenty of time to acquire skills and to study.
Not to mention, time to play team sports or learn a musical instrument. Or both.
Waiting to date gives a girl time to have some fun, to hang out, and to build friendships. Sensibly. All without getting her heart broken every few months.
Keeping your daughter’s heart whole is a good reason to pay attention to the wardrobe wars.