High Fashion Tots for Winter

Flipping through a few magazines I was really surprised to see what some of the trends were in kid's fashion for this weekend. For one thing some of the styles are quite grown up. Your kid is supposed to be in clothes that are as tailored as yours.

For example designer Philip Lim showed a collection that was all mustards, burnt oranges, and bone and tan colors. Kids were outfitted in little riding pants, cropped fifties style jackets and trenchcoats. Big bulky suede boots in milk chocolate brown complete the ensemble. This is a wonderful look if your kid likes to ride horses! I would probably only dress up my kids like this if I had to take them to wedding or a funeral. These are not every day looks even though celebrity moms insist they are.

Another interesting trend is the footwear for kids. There are a lot of gold and silver shoes on the market to buy for kids. The only problem with this idea is that once again, they are not really for every day wear unless your little girl is very neat.

Another trend is to make your kid look like a bit of a flower child. This is a much happier and more comfortable look especially for teenagers.

Everything that is tie-die is in including tie-dyed T-shirts and leggings. This is paired with long johns and shirts with tiny Victorian floral prints like violets or roses. Many girls are wearing short wool skirts or jean cut offs over this get up.

Straw hats worn with vintage sweaters with pictures of reindeer on them are also popular as are recycled corduroy skirts with floral inserts.

The key to a successful hippie look is to wear many layers including vests, belts and scarves as well as a perky wool artist's tam. In terms of footwear think Frye boots in a tam color and Jesus sandals for slogging around at home. Mocassins worn with socks and bright and shiny satin style leggings in a neon color are also in style.

Looking like a little jailbird is also cool. Gray flannel shirts, pants and dresses with lateral stripes are also considered to be very cool.

One look at this fashion trend tells me that it is probably a great idea to take my kids right to the used clothing store so they can mix and match their own look. It is a good way to teach them to put an outfit together on a budget!

Parenting Tips
, , , , , , , , ,

Is Your Kid a Bully?

Just who is a bully?? A bully is YOUR KID. A bully is someone who tries to control others through intimidation or violence. They pick on kids that are alone and that do not have a strong network of friends. They steal from other kids or destroy their property. Is this your kid?

Bullies do not know how to get attention in positive ways. To get attention they do what they have to. Many bullies think that bullying is just a fun game. They feel justified in picking on others because it makes them feel they are winning.

A bully does not always feel great about him or herself. They tend to have very low self-esteem no matter how much they swagger around or push others around. They pick on kids who are not hr fringe and rarely use their bullying powers for good.

The bully is often lonely and needs to find true friends. Weirdly, many are quite charismatic and can be excellent leaders despite their violent ways.

One distressing thing to realize is that bully is a learned trait. If you are dealing with a kid that is related to you that is bullying others you need to sit down and be honest with yourself and realize that the kid learned it from someone k- most likely you! Bullies who don't change their ways in when they are young to prevent adulthood filled with violence and aggression. These antisocial behaviors often result in employment problems, difficulty maintaining healthy relationships and even criminal behavior. That's why it is your duty as a parent to make sure that a kid that is bullying experiences strong negative consequences for doing it.

A bully is anti-social and the behavior can be hard to change. Parents also should make school officials aware of any bullying that is occurring, whether the victim is their child or someone else's child. School officials need to know, and so do the bully's parents. The bullyingneeds to be called out and named, but without shaming the bully who after all is motivated by fear and low-esteem.

If necessary you need to take an aggressive kid to a psychologist for behavior modification training. The good news is that the cycle of bullying can be ended if you train the child to think differently about himself (or herself) and others early on. It also helps to check your own behavior to see how you are somehow teaching your child to pick on others.

Parenting Tips
, , , , , , ,