Children certainly grow and their tastes certainly change, and don’t be surprised when the daughter asks the question how does this look?
Now you have to get away from your memories of little girls in cute outfits and consider reality. First, do you like it as a fashionable look for a young woman? Do the colors match and flatter her hair, complexion and eyes? Is it the right match for her body type? Would you rather see a girlfriend in that outfit instead of your own daughter? If that’s the case, prepare for a fight.
Second, even if the look is not what you’d like, is it clean and at least well put together? We’ve reached an understanding in this household that while we will not dress the children in such a fashion that they’ll become targets, we will not permit them to wear clothing that’s suggestive, decrepid or promoting a prison lifestyle. Read that as low slung pants and the whole bling thing.
Finally, consider how to deliver the message. While you feel caught in a sling between your daughter in the outside world and your daughter as your little girl, she’s equally torn between wanting to look fashionable and still meeting the code. And in many instances, she does want your approval. Mine has come to expect that her PracticalDad will actually look for several seconds and that prolonged silence means that he’s trying out how to gently provide the phrase it doesn’t work.
And as I write this, I’m actually glad that she’s still asking me what I think. Because the time will come when she’ll be asking another instead of me.