She is perfectly able to dress herself in the morning. Well, pretty much. Buttons and zippers can still be a challenge. Yet I can’t seem to stop myself from “helping.” Since I realize she needs to learn to do things on her own, I’ve been laying out her clothes and allowing her to get dressed on her own, no matter how long it takes (and sometimes it takes forever).
I need to take this a step further by letting actually her choose her own outfits. But it’s a tough one. For me, not her. She loves picking out her clothes. (This is where the control freak in me starts to really squirm.)
Today I was running late so I let Avery put together her own outfit for school. Oh how I wish I had video of her jumping through her doorway out into the hall, arms overhead, legs outstretched in a victorious V-stand, grinning from ear-to-ear exclaiming, “Tah-dah! I dressed!”
Halloween t-shirt, underwear on backwards and inside-out, one long black sock, one short white sock, no pants. She was ready for school.
We have a strict “you must wear pants in public” rule so I suggested she put something on (after she rearranged her underwear). She returned wearing a pair of her brother’s basketball shorts. Better, but not great.
When you have a child who has developmental delays, every new achievement no matter how big or small warrants celebration. Even if this means they might go to school wearing a ballet tutu over a pair of floods. It’s still worthy of a high-five and a “you go girl!” (And yes, I may have adjusted this outfit slightly because… I’m a work in progress.)
P.S. The title of this post makes me want potato chips desperately.
