One day while visiting the
science museum I came upon a large group of kids crowded around the space
exhibit. These kids had no official group identification, but I could tell
immediately- this was a homeschool group. The dress of this hodge-podge
herd made an unapologetic statement- "Outfit, shmoutfit. I'm here for the
science."
I’ve never been a fashionista myself. (I shop at Target when I’m feeling fancy.) But I try to keep up on mainstream fashions enough to fly under the radar of the fashion police (AKA my husband). So it was immediately apparent to me that the kids at the museum were NOT tres chic. I chuckled at these walking stereotypes, smugly vowing that my offspring would never dress like that.
Well, that was years ago and since becoming a homeschooler, my kids and I have become fashion law repeat offenders.
Our crimes: Color UNcoordinated. Tennis shoes with dresses. Backwards T's. Bedhead. Mismatched socks. Swimsuits just because. Hole-y knees. High-water pants. Dress-ups at the grocery store. Pants with skirts. Pajamas past noon. Bare feet. Wrinkled clothes. Diaper-only baby. Inside-out. Out of season. And the rap sheet continues.
My children are victims of fashion neglect and I am completely to blame!
I’ve never been a fashionista myself. (I shop at Target when I’m feeling fancy.) But I try to keep up on mainstream fashions enough to fly under the radar of the fashion police (AKA my husband). So it was immediately apparent to me that the kids at the museum were NOT tres chic. I chuckled at these walking stereotypes, smugly vowing that my offspring would never dress like that.
Well, that was years ago and since becoming a homeschooler, my kids and I have become fashion law repeat offenders.
Our crimes: Color UNcoordinated. Tennis shoes with dresses. Backwards T's. Bedhead. Mismatched socks. Swimsuits just because. Hole-y knees. High-water pants. Dress-ups at the grocery store. Pants with skirts. Pajamas past noon. Bare feet. Wrinkled clothes. Diaper-only baby. Inside-out. Out of season. And the rap sheet continues.
My children are victims of fashion neglect and I am completely to blame!
But, I wonder- Is it such a
crime, really? If I am diligent about teaching hygiene, modesty, and
appropriateness, is it so bad if my kids dress like "homelyschoolers”?
Would I prefer my kids to have the comfortable fashion oblivion of the kids I
met at the museum? Or would I rather they look photo-shoot ready?
I know, as LDS parents, we have counsel from the prophets on modesty and appearance. And we have the Holy Spirit to give us revelation in our individual homes and situations. But in situations where personal preference rules lets hear from you, the jury:
I know, as LDS parents, we have counsel from the prophets on modesty and appearance. And we have the Holy Spirit to give us revelation in our individual homes and situations. But in situations where personal preference rules lets hear from you, the jury:
- Do you have a
homeschool dress code?
- How important is self
expression?
- Does the link between
dress and behavior apply at home?
- Does your dress code
apply on and off campus?
- When do you begin
enforcing modesty and missionary haircuts?
- How do you teach
fashion without teaching materialism?
- Do your kids
look ‘homelyschooled’? (Please, tell me I'm not the only one.)
I want to know what you think. Maybe frump-fashion isn't an issue for your family and the red carpet is calling. Or maybe your family will be the inspiration for “What Not to Wear- Family Edition”... But, whatever your homeschool dress code- bedazzled or bedraggled- take comfort that the “Lord seeth not as a man seeth; For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart”. (1 Samuel 16:17)
If you are interested in a homeschool fashion project try this: Create your own ‘homeschool’ logos. You can print shirts through a local t-shirt shop, with DIY silkscreen machines, with iron-on transfers and an inkjet printer, fabric markers, or even good ol’ puff paints. Although it was a little more pricey to purchase the finished product, we used cafepress.com to design and print our shirts. It made the process super easy. Through Cafepress we can also SELL our designs to friends and family with the free online store front. This would make a fun hands-on business lesson that could also be useful for creating original school, team, family reunion, girl’s camp, etc. shirts. To see how it works you can visit the store we set up: Homeschool Cool.