It took me almost 5 years to realize that it's ok to "let" your kids wear what they want (within reason), wheather that be mismatch socks or vertical stripped pants with a horizontal stripped shirt accompanied with a polka-dot headband. It took me almost five years to "let" my kids get dirty. I spent four years chasing my daughter around with antibacterial wipes or regular wipes wiping off her face, hands, and shoes. I carried a stain remover pen in my purse! How much time did I steal from her childhood??? I just came upstairs from doing my 7th load of laundry this week and I was spraying a bottle of shout all over my 14 month old's clothes. Those stains mean something. They really do. Just like a scar, it means something. Scars usually carry a taunting memory, but nonetheless it's a memory and made you who you are. Stains symbolize fun. Those mud stains in my son's shirt made me cringe as they were happening but today they made me smile. Thinking of the smile that was on his face and the laughter that came from his tiny body made that stain ok! The pair of pants that had cheesy stains from when I let him try cheese puffs without wiping his hand after everyone, those meant something. I remember him looking at me and saying uh-oh his interpretation of "no" poor kid thinks he can't get dirty. My new outlook on this is that it's ok and encouraged to let them get as dirty as they want, we are making memories. Memories to last a lifetime.
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