When Maddie was two, we went to Target to do some shopping. I put an adorable dress into the cart. Apparently, she disagreed. She grabbed the dress and dropped it on the floor. I picked it up and returned it to the cart. She took it in her tiny hand and again dropped it on the floor. I thought she was playing a game. She wasn’t. She didn’t like the dress and from that day forth, subject to my approval, Maddie chooses her own clothes.
So when I set her loose at Target to do her back-to-school clothes shopping, a pile of clothes went into the cart. Though she rejected the cute striped dress, said no to everything preppy and turned down a dozen fab pairs of jeans, she did find several looks she loves. Most start with her basic black Circo pants (she has five pairs) and a favorite t-shirt, which she then builds a look around. Next came the sneakers -- new Sketchers to get her through phys ed.
I love that she uses clothes to express herself and I love that she has her own style. But after two hours, I was reminded why I sometimes wish she went to a uniform school! With super reasonable prices (items generally range from $8 to $16.99) Target also offers a variety of uniform basics for schools with dress codes including:
- Polos in a multitude of colors and sleeve lengths for both boys and girls;
- Pants and shorts;
- Scooters, jumpers, dresses, cardigans and tops for girls; and
- Shirts and layering options for boys.
We could have had her shopping done in 20 minutes instead of two hours. But I confess, I think we had more fun.
