Papa don't preach: battles with parents over clothes

"A little rebellion now and then is a good thing." --Thomas Jefferson 

Fights over clothes? Growing up I had some doozies with my dad. Generally the fights were over "brand new" clothes hanging in my closet that I'd never worn. Typically I'd never worn them because style in school is complex, & I knew better than he did what I needed to wear to navigate those difficult waters. 

Did you fight with your parents over clothes in high school? Did you want to wear something they thought was inappropriate? I didn't fight with my parents over whether something was too short or too low-cut but rather over whether my clothes looked (to them) like rags. I also battled with them over an all-black phase I went through. 

Did you ever hide something in your backpack & then change into it on once you got to school? I can remember doing this, but I can't remember what it was. 

This past weekend I took stock of the times I get mad at my own kids over clothes. Here are some of the main reasons...

• Not wearing new things, & then ending up outgrowing them. Case in point: some Heelies my youngest has outgrown before ever really wearing them. This is much like the times my dad got mad at me, but my son has a good reason: it was too hard for him to learn to skate in Heelies.
  
  
• Wearing clothes for, like, an hour & then putting them in the hamper.  And then asking for a new outfit to put on (when you could just pull the nearly-clean outfit out of the hamper & put it back on!).
  
  

• Not wearing a pullover or jacket when it's cold out. Ditto refusing to wear pants (instead of shorts) when it's cold. This was a daily battle in March. Classic parenting battle really. 
  
  

• Asking me to get their clothes when they can get their own. This one's kind of sweet but also pure laziness on their part. 
  
  

• Losing something. Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens.
  
  
• Stretching out their clothes by stuffing their entire bodies inside their tops.  
  
  

• Leaving dirty socks on the floor & under the couch & leaving their shoes all over the house.

Well, I guess we've established that I get angry with the kids about clothes. My fights with my dad were few & far between in comparison. 

Of course, I know that these fights are about a lot more than just clothes. They're about responsibility & sharing in the upkeep of our home & not wasting.

It's funny because I resolved never to fight with my kids about food. I guess we shouldn't be fighting over clothes either?


Did you fight (argue) with your parents about clothes when you were in high school? Have you had arguments with your own kids over clothes?