Documenting Simon.

Bless Simon's little heart. He is who he is and I couldn't agree more with Roberta. If I've learned anything, it's to listen to my kids and their "special needs." When one of my little boys wants to wear his Spider Man costume to the grocery store..instead of fighting him, I let him and there's so much more peace. When my other little one wants to wear two different socks (which is every day) I let him and forget about my ideas of what's right and wrong. They aren't doing anything to hurt themselves or others so I've been working on letting stuff go and keep peace in our lives...
But, when my husband wanted to shave all the hair off his head..I had to protest! LOL!

He is so adorable! What a busy little boy! I would have never thought about that with long sleeves, but she's does make very good points! I love the part about it feeling like a hug!

I like Roberta's spin - I just watched my 5 yo nephew for a few days, and he lived in his rash guard shirts and board shorts. Maybe when it's hot, Simon can have the feeling of long sleeves, but they breathe well. And you don't have to worry about sun screen!

Luke's the same Ali and I pick my battles with him too. I agree that this one is not worth fighting.

my son walked around when he was six one WHOLE
HOT summer wearing a neon lime SKI SUIT
:)
i love kids:)
and those photo's of simon are precious (the last
one is particularly lovely)

You are a such a good momma! We are always want to do what is best for our kids (although we don't always know what that is)
I have a 13 year old brother with Autism and when he is comfortable..... we all are comfortable :) Clothes are a big issue!

That is awesome Maddie :)

Fabulous pictures - makes me think to take a bunch of random shots over the weekend,,,, time goes by so fast. My "little" one is now 13 -

I have a son who wore a star-spangled cape EVERYWHERE! I'm hoping that he won't rebel in high school because I let him express himself so young. I love seeing how you document your lives--and it is fun to watch your kids grow! I have a question, though. Like you, I love to make mini albums--and I make them all the time. Where do you store all of yours? I am running out of room, but I don't want to stifle my creativity or neglect a good story! Thanks.
Christine

My son Jake spent an entire summer in long sleeved cowboy shirts because " John Wayne doesn't wear tee shirts." Sometimes the battles we loose become the best memories!
~Megan

No worries about the long pants. My son, now 6 1/2 wore long pants for the past two summers. I always offered shorts but he chose long pants. So we compromised and bought alot of light weight "beach pants". This year out of the blue he has decided to wear shorts. Now I have to stop myself from discouraging him to wear shorts on colder days in the spring. There is no winning. we have to just learn to be happy when they are happy and they will put on more clothes or take off clothes till they are comfy.
Thanks for sharing with us. Sometimes we need to hear it again to make us realize it is Ok and they are going to grow up to be OK even if they like long pants in hot weather.

Simon is so active I doubt he notices the heat. I think that keeping him hydrated is a good idea!
I drive with my Harry Potter wand next to me, you never know when you'll need it ;)

Thank you for your insight today. My oldest son keeps wanting to wear jeans everyday even though he has shorts. We live near Houston and our temps have been about 104 degrees and not much rain. Again thank you.

We have the same issue with my son (who has ASD and is now 18 years old). He wants to wear his winter jacket but also SHORTS all year round. We live in Minnesota. Oh well...

Kids are so funny! I had the opposite problem. My 6 1/2 year old son wore long basketball shorts and short sleeves all winter to school. We live in Utah where it's cold and snowy. I felt like a horrible parent sending him to school like that, but I got over it and just made him put ski pants and his parka on. Loved this post on Simon.

One thing I've noticed this past week seeing countless pictures of Michael Jackson is that he rarely wore anything but long sleeves. I actually saw a picture of him in a t-shirt with his kids and realized I had never seen his arms before! Simon is in the company of creative genius!

Both of my kids have sensory processing disorder, as do many kids with autism. My daughter is always cold- she wore her coat in class for most of kindergarten. My son is always hot - he will be in a t-shirt when the rest of us are in sweaters. Perhaps Simon's temperature runs differently. My daughter also loves the tactile sensation of tighter clothes - close knits, tights, headbands. She feels very uncomfortable in clothes that hang off the body. You might consider sensory issues, as well as the difficulty our children have with transitions, when considering clothing issues.

Hey...that is a good point your friend made about the people in the desert. Yeah, they're always dressed in several layers, but they don't seem to mind.

Wow, it's really impacted me that a comment someone left on a blog post made you re-think about this. The internet, and the scrapping and blogging communities, are amazing things. You are one amazing woman, thinking it over and taking it on board. What lucky children to have such a present, active, constantly re-adjusting, nurturing, mother.

Interesting, about the sleeve thing - we definitely have a "soft fabric" issue in our house. eg corduroy with elastic waists instead of denim jeans. Love the permission to go with the flow stuff... Hugs.

Fabulous photos as usual, Ali. I love seeing Simon grow up through your photos and stories. What a special guy! Love the silly face.

Simon continues to tug at my heartstrings...and here is the wy we handled the dilemma of 'individuality' at our house: When my kids wanted to do something I didn't, I checked my criteria: Will it hurt them/someone else? Is it 'appropriate' (no nudity while at the grocery store, etc.) and if it fit, I let them do as they desired. But they DID have to listen to my reasons, as well!--and eventually found that they 'got it' and began to conform appropriately. And for the record, my kids ALWAYS, it seemed, got the seasons backward. Constantly telling them to take off their coat in the summer, and to put it on in the winter! Kudos to you, Ali, for allowing Roberta's mother-wisdom to open your heart.

When my son was 3 he fell in love with his rain boots. We live in Sacramento where it often tops 100 in the summer.
He wore those fuzz lined boots everyday for the whole summer. He wore them with shorts and no shirt,and even with his bathing suit. I was happy because I didn't have to tie them and he was happy because he got to wear what he wanted.
With three kids I rarely make an issue out of clothes, unless it is a special occasion. My daughter and I have a deal (although she is always attempting to renegotiate the terms) that she can wear what she wants most days. I get to choose for trips and special occasions.
Simon is darling. You're doing a great job.

that is some serious wisdom. I am taking that to heart and hopefully will remember to apply it when necessary! Thanks for the comment Roberta and for sharing Ali!

Good point about the long sleeves in desert climates.
I've also heard about mamas who teach their child to read a thermometer & then have set guidelines based on the temp outdoors. The idea with that is to take as much drama out of the picture as possible and put the responsibility on the child to pick out the right items based on the temp.
I've considered doing this myself with our son who is hesitant to put on a jacket when he NEEDS one during the winter months. I want to teach him how to grab a jacket when he needs to without my input (and without my begging & cajoling!). :-)