Thursday, September 10, 2009

Tip of the Week: Choices

I had always been opposed to school uniforms -- that is, until my daughter became obsessed with purple and wearing anything that sparkled. Getting dressed in the morning became a battle. My friend had it even worse. Her son would wear only his Spider-Man costume! He insisted on wearing it everywhere (even to swimming lessons) until she finally gave up, and he grew out of it.

Now, with the start of the new school year, I am actually looking forward to the simplicity of these school uniforms. Of course, as parents, we don't want to squash our children's self-expression, but it's not all right to wear shorts in the middle of winter!

For me, school uniforms have made life easier. If your school doesn't use them, however, do your children and yourself a favor by giving them clear choices. I suggest narrowing the scope: Pull out two different outfits and tell them, "You can wear this or this. Which one would you like to wear today?"

When you offer your child a choice, whether it be about clothing or food, you're giving him or her a sense of power, therefore defusing the power struggle. I also recommend picking out and talking about outfits the night before. That way if you're running late in the morning, you won't have to worry about your child spending extra time deciding on clothes!

Offering children choices works well for many of the different interactions that you have with them, and everyone will be happier because of it!