Over the summer/fall, Londo and I did a lot of rearranging and cleaning. One of the areas we cleaned out was the coat closet in the front hall. The state of that closet was similar to my closet growing up when my mom told me to clean my room--and I of course just shoved everything into the closet and prayed that she didn't open the door and see everything falling out. That was the state of our coat closet. I literally had no idea what was at the bottom of it.
As we were cleaning everything out and sorting items into keep or giveaway piles, I started teasing Londo about how many coats he has. WAY more coats than I have. More coats and jackets than he ever wears. Coats for every possible variation of the weather. Who could possibly need all those coats? And when he put only 1 or 2 in the giveaway pile? I started giving him an even harder time--lovingly, of course. But he held strong, saying that he just loved coats and jackets. He liked having a lot to choose from. He doesn't ask for much, so I shut my mouth and gave him the majority of the coat closet hanging room.
Then we got to the hats, scarves and gloves. And I was sooooo glad I shut my mouth about his coats. Cause I? I have a huge collection of winter accessories. I LOVE matching hats, scarves and gloves. I have them in many colors, many styles and many materials. Most of them were Christmas gifts from one person or another. And I didn't want to get rid of any of them! Luckily, I simply admitted to Londo that I now understood his feelings about coats, because I wanted all my hats, scarves and gloves. He smartly just nodded.
Well, it was a good thing I kept all of those. Many mornings, they have been key to getting the Pumpkin out the door. You see, it probably takes us at least 10 minutes to get from the point of the Pumpkin finishing breakfast and getting her shoes on to actually getting out the door and into the car. I can get her shoes on pretty easily, either as she is finishing breakfast or in the family room right after breakfast.
But then I have to get her from the family room to the front door, where all our winter wear is located. At the same time, I need to gathering up all my things, including my pump, my work bag, my purse, any lunch or breakfast I may be bringing with me and whatever else needs to come with us in the car to school or work. I also have been starting the car before the Pumpkin goes out to get in it. So I'm trying to juggle all those things and get the child motivate to the front door. Not easy.
Brilliantly (if I do say so myself), I've started asking her which hat and scarf she wants to wear. Sometimes she wants her own, sometimes Daddy's, and often mine. So runs to the cubbyholes at the front door and looks through them to pick out the ones she wants to wear that day. Mommy's white scarf? Which one? Daddy's Redskins hat? Put it on, and let's go!
Her teachers at school have all told us that they think it's so cute that she comes in to school in different hats and scarves every day. I told them it was the best way I've found to get her out of the door. Plus, she gets to practice making her own decisions, AND she's learning about fashion!
3 comments:
Our Pumpkin LOVES to wear hats to day care, too. Of course, ours are lightweight sun hats. Other parents ask me how I get her to wear them- hat refusal is a common issue out here in sunny SoCal. I didn't do it. She just decided that she wants to wear hats. She also goes to her cubby by the door and picks one out every morning.
The multiple coats and jackets must be a man thing. DH has many more than I do and seems to acquire 2 each year. I'm still wearing the beige coat I used to wear when you and I still worked together. And that's been how long now? Ugh. I had basically the same argument, however, I don't have a winter accessory habit (do have two complete sets and several pairs of gloves but that's because my mother thinks I don't have any and buys me a pair each year).
The decision making aspect is fun though and if it helps with the morning routine, then why not keep it all!
Hi! I am just checking in from in town to see how you and your family are in this crazy weather. At least Pumpkin is getting more of a chance to rock the winter wear. We have been fighting with our little guy about mittens. I finally bought a cheap pair of gloves at Target and he loves them! Being able to move his fingers has helped.
Hope that you are well...e-mail strugibear@gmail.com if you need to commiserate about the weather.
Kate
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