Of all the battles parents fight every day (please eat, please brush your teeth, please go the f*ck to sleep), in my mind, the clothing debate is the worst. Nothing raises my frustration level to DEFCON 5 faster than my 3-year-old daughter's refusal to put on one of her endless sweet and stylish — not to mention pricey — wardrobe options. At this point, I'd even be happy if she'd agree to wear a pair of leggings that aren't two sizes too small or a shirt without a giant stain on it (her love of clashing clothing is only matched by her love of spaghetti sauce, ketchup, and red popsicles).
Right now, I am most definitely losing our style wars. My faux fashionista has spent the last two weeks wearing a pink ombré tutu every single day and sleeping in it every night. She concedes to wearing it over pants and tops in public but really prefers rocking it all on its own (no shirt, no shoes, and definitely no undergarments).
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, as she's not the first obsessive dresser in my family. My 31-year-old brother still gets teased for his preschool outfit of choice: a black college sweatshirt and old-school athletic sweatpants tucked into cowboy boots. My poor mother had to wash that lovely outfit every night.
Trying to avoid that sad reality, I've tried many different tactics to get my daughter dressed without one or both of us ending up screaming or in tears. Here are the tactics that have worked best.
Photo: Katharine Stahl