The other morning my daughter came out of her room to show me how she had dressed herself for school. For about the past year she has been choosing her own color combinations (with oversight from mom and dad) and now as a 5 year old, well, I smiled at how nicely she did.When my little one was a baby, I said to my wife that we’re not having any “battles” over choosing clothes with our daughter. We will give her the tools to choose appropriate clothing and then guide her and build on that information.Well, many parents told me that this would be a big issue and that much conflict would ensue. I remember saying---why? If my little one combines clothes that don’t work together, we would simply suggest an alternative and explain why the odd pairing doesn’t work. They laughed and mocked my apparent naivete. Now it’s years later and we have not had a single “battle” over the topic of dressing oneself. Whew.So here are some thoughts on avoiding the not inevitable clothing “war”:• first make sure your little one is aware of who’s in charge;• start them young with simple color coordination—yellow goes with yellow, blue with blue, etc.; • let them know that, generally, all colors go with black + white;• when you buy clothes for your little ones, keep in mind that solids are easier to match initially. This is helpful to them;• once you see that they are easily matching their solid colors, introduce patterns (that have a pronounced color) with a solid (that matches that color);• when it comes to patterns--show them how to scan their initial choice, say a shirt, and then choose pants that match one of the pattern colors;• start them young with your being able to change their choice. This will put you in a good position later when they walk out of their room wearing a dotted shirt and striped pants/leggings;• remember, this is a wonderful exploration for them, so be a guide not a military commander;• every once in a while they will match a specific color from a shirt pattern with a solid pant color and it doesn’t really work. Unless it’s painfully weird, let it go. • but, it’s important to be mindful that you are teaching them a skill—color coordinating—so they should be visually accurate most of the time.This can be such a positive experience for our little ones, especially if you teach it when they’re learning their colors. We may actually want to consider teaching them how to dress as an extension of learning their colors, not as a place to explore melodrama (wink).all content The New Parent © 2008