My Child Is Gaga-Fied...Well, Sort Of.

Now that back to school season is approaching, I am having a hard time convincing my preteen that while individuality and personal style is encouraged, there are some things that are an absolute no-go. You see, my son is very, very colorful to say the least, and has a ton of personality he'd love to reflect with his wardrobe. He loves pop culture, and adores Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, and other wildly styled celebs. In effect, he would love it if I allowed him to wear odd, mismatched yet artistically driven clothing. He would also love it if I let him dye his hair purple...And this is at the tender age of 11. I can't imagine what the teen years will bring! I can feel the gray hairs starting to sprout right now as I think about it!

So while I love that he wants to express himself, there are certain things that will be totally off limits come this school year. Included in my list of no-no's are:

• Anything with sequins. This SHOULD be a given, but if you knew my child, you'd know that I have to outlaw all things shiny. Plus, sequins get all over everything when doing laundry, and we end up finding them all over the place. Not fun!
• Fedoras with feathers. Think Bruno Mars. While this look is cute, it is not exactly appropriate for a child entering the 6th grade.
• Leather pants. Unless my child is a Jim Morrison reincarnate, we'll skip these altogether. Not happening. Plus, they'd be a pain to clean.
• Anything so covered in designer labels that it will lose it's appeal in a month when kids move on to the next cool thing. I am not spending hundreds of dollars on designer duds that have a shelf life less than that of a dozen eggs.
  
• Goth boots. Enough said. Although when I was a kid, I did own some of my own. (Hangs head in embarrassment.)
  
• Man bling. We're not mafia here, and we don't need to pretend we are.
  

So while these options are absolutely positively not happening, I do plan to get some trendy, edgy graphic tees and hoodies for him as well as some skater-style jeans. Maybe even some new Vans of DC shoes. He loves skull prints and rock-star type clothing a lot, and lucky for me, there's a lot available that's more toned down in comparison to what he wishes I would let him wear.

What are you planning on getting your kids this fall? Do they like to express themselves through fashion? Does your kid wear anything that if photographed would make a perfect blackmail photo for later years? I'd love to hear about it!

***Disclosure: “I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and jcpenney blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.***

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