My mother subscribed to a similar method of picking battles surrounding clothing. When I was four or five years old I had this pyjama set that included a candy cane striped night gown, housecoat and hat with a pom pom on the top of it. I decided that this hat would be the perfect thing to wear to the airport as we said bon voyage to my aunt, uncle and one year old cousin before they went to Australia for a year sabbatical. My aunt was unimpressed that my mother would allow me to wear such a ridiculous hat out in public.* My mom shrugged. A few years later my aunt had her daughter K. who became obsessed with this tie-dyed baseball/trucker hat, complete with mud flaps in the back, and wore it everywhere (like even with dresses at Christmas). My mother was smugly satisfied with the turn of events.
Fastforward to when I was a goth teenager. My mother took me to the mall and told me to: "buy something normal to wear to school". I'd been frequenting my childhood dress up bin for school clothes (primarily a witch costume) and ten years later she wasn't finding it cute any more and longed for the days of candy cane pom pom head. I picked out a few things that she and I both found acceptable including this plain black button up cardigan from a discount rack at The Bay. This cardigan matched everything and became a staple wardrobe piece that I shared with my bestie E because it went with everything. We even called it "the magic card". To this very day I'm still obsessed with sweaters and cardigans.** Sadly right now there is no "magic card" in my collection.
When I "declared" that I wouldn't set restrictions on what my children would wear I didn't think about weather appropriateness. Molly also has a "magic card", it has buttons on the front and rainbow colours, pink, red, white and blue with a hood - so essentially it matches everything and nothing at the same time. It has a Dora the Explorer*** patch on it and was a hand-me-down from Molly's cousins A & C. Yesterday we had a heat alert in the city. Temperatures reached 33 degrees (91.4 degrees F) or 43 degrees (109 degrees F) if you consider the humidity. Sounds like sweater weather to Molly. Even better she throws a fit if the sweater is open, so you better button it up all the way. She looks like a two year old granny with her Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dora Sweater and her "lap" blanket. People are passing out on the street because it's so freaking hot and my daughter wants more layers. Apparently the cousins also were very attached to the above mentioned Dora Sweater. I have determined that this is no "magic card", it's the "black magic card" that possess toddlers into wearing it constantly. Insert smug, satisfied smile from my mother and aunt right here.
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*The hat was a candy cane striped cloth bathing cap with a giant red pom pom, my head looked like the top of a poorly decorated cupcake.
**When you work in an office with "temperature control" you need layers my friend, no matter what time of year it is.
***Thankfully neither child knows who Dora is, yet.
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