I had just hopped out of the shower. Evie was stuffing her face with blueberries and Gracie was getting herself dressed.
Gracie pops her head in…
“Yar Yar* can I wear odd socks?”
I knew I had to say yes.
But I had the following thoughts running through my head…
- Won’t she look funny?
- It won’t match her outfit.
- What will people think of her at the park?
- What will her mum think when we take her home this afternoon? Especially when she always comes from her mums house dressed so well.
- Can she wear odd socks?
These are all of my thoughts coming from an adult-conditioned-by-society-point-of-view.
My emotive parenting brain says… We want her to have her own thoughts, opinions and choices. We want her to have the opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t. We want her to be creative, adventurous and independent. We want her to be herself.
It’s a simple enough question. It’s a simple enough answer. Yes, sure thing.
She ended up finding a pair of matching socks that she wanted to wear anyway!
Does your adult mind, your schedules or your fashion sense get in the way of your child’s thoughts, opportunities or creativity? I have found it the hardest pattern to break! Still working on it.
* Gracie calls me ‘Yar Yar’ because when she was learning to speak she couldn’t say ‘Alexandra’. Yes, it also means ‘Grandmother’ in Greek. I know. 
