Has your child ever wanted to go a fancy event wearing casual clothes? These are reasons why you should and shouldn’t let your kid choose their own clothes. 

The downside of letting your kid choose what they want to wear is that they don’t know much about the weather or what “weather appropriate clothes” are. According to the article “Why You Shouldn’t Let Your Kids Choose Their Own Clothes,” parents “understand the kind of clothes your kid should wear based on the weather.” 

However, if children don’t pick out their own clothes, they will not learn the decision-making skills need for later in life. In the article “Why You Should Let Children Choose What They Wear,” it states that “Simply put, kids who have the opportunity to weigh their options and make considered decisions will have more practice, which will come in handy later in life.” 

Letting kids wear what they want is a big confidence booster because they know they look their best and are proud of what they are wearing. Being forced to wear something you don’t want to be very uncomfortable because most of the time you don’t feel your best in it. As said in “Why You Should Let Children Choose Their Own Clothes,” “When kids wear clothing, they feel comfortable and look good in, they’ll move through the world with their heads held high.”

Grades 8-12 can be stressful years especially once a teen enters high school because it’s a new environment and that’s the place where a kid figures out who they are and what they wear helps with figuring that out. Clothes show who we are and what we like so it’s a way of navigating life. “Teens use their wardrobe to explore parts of their identity that they’re still discovering.” (1) 

Letting kids choose their own outfits at a young age can really help in important decision-making issues they will have to make in the future. In “Why You Should Let Children Choose Their Own Clothes,” the author claims that “Simply put, kids who have the opportunity to weigh their options and make considered decisions will have more practice, which will come in handy later in life.” 

Considering all this, letting your child choose what they would like to wear is the best option. It lets them grow in the way they want and figure out their way in life. It also relieves stress you may have when arguing with them on what to wear.