By Ann Marie Stonecypher |\u00a0Photography by Simply Heidi Photography<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n As a mom, there is nothing more joyous than picking out clothes for your little one. It\u2019s wired into our mommy DNA. We adorn barely-there hair. We fold socks over chubby little calves.<\/p>\n Then comes the dreaded day.<\/p>\n The clothes are laid out on the bed, like usual. But out of the blue, your child says the words no mother is prepared for: \u201cI don\u2019t want to wear that. I want to pick my own clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n You blink and smile and say something like, \u201cHoney, you love this outfit and Mommy picked it out just for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Then the child utters something even worse: \u201cI. Don\u2019t. Like. It.\u201d<\/p>\n The good thing is your child is one more step down the exciting road toward independence and self-sufficiency. Our fashion sense is one of the things that sets us apart from everyone else. The colors we wear and the styles we enjoy are often experimented with at an early age. Goodness knows they\u2019re retooled as the years go by, but these early experiments are key to helping kids gain self confidence.<\/p>\n Michelle Brancaccio of Indie Kids shared some of her thoughts.<\/p>\n \u201cChildren pride themselves on picking out their own clothes. It helps develop their own personality. The physical process also helps with motor skills,\u201d she explained. \u201cI encourage parents to bring their kids shopping. Make a girls\u2019 day of it with your daughter. Let them pick out their outfits and help by creating the combination.\u201d<\/p>\n I also suggest parents try to let go of perfection. Maybe your child doesn\u2019t want to tuck in their shirt or match their hair accessories to their shirt\/shorts\/socks. I promise the world will continue to revolve around the sun, just as it did yesterday.<\/p>\n Michelle added, \u201cMake it clear that there are times when you will decide what is worn. Examples are things like weather conditions and special occasions.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019ll be some give and take. Like with everything else, you are still Mom. They can\u2019t have Oreos for breakfast, and they can\u2019t wear shorts when it\u2019s 20 degrees outside.<\/p>\n When my daughter was younger, everyone at her school wore clothes from one mass retailer, who in my mind was the retail equivalent of the Antichrist. The store was overly perfumed, under lit, overpriced and undersized. When washed, the clothing underperformed.<\/p>\n Inexplicably, the kids lined up like sheep to buy this stuff. They looked like overly-sexualized California \u201cStepford Tweens.\u201d And heaven forbid you didn\u2019t blend in with the herd.<\/p>\n This sparked quite a debate in my house. Our compromise was if money was going to be spent on this clothing, it wasn\u2019t going to be mine. I watched as the shopping went from \u201cI want this this, this and this\u201d to very judiciously chosen pieces. After a short time, she was just over it.<\/p>\n As time went on, I watched the evolution of my daughter\u2019s style. She grew into a very fashionable young lady, earning the title of Best Dressed in high school and a bachelor\u2019s degree in apparel design in college. Is this because I let her pick her own clothes? Who can say. But like many people, that\u2019s just one imaginative area of her life.<\/p>\n The Bottom Line: Children express their creativity in many ways, and clothing is just one. As moms, it\u2019s our job to offer guidance and wisdom, and just say no when necessary. As parents, we know bigger fish to fry are always lurking just around the corner. Wouldn\u2019t it be nice if they all came with buttons and zippers? SWM <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Models: AMS Models <\/a><\/em> Ann Marie Stonecypher is an award-winning business woman and the owner of AMS Models & Talent. She is also a stylist, inspirational speaker, two-time breast cancer survivor and freelance writer. She lives in the Syracuse area with her children Taylor and Steven, and her dog Cocoa. She welcomes your style questions and comments at info@amsmodels.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When to Let Go of the Shoe Laces By Ann Marie Stonecypher |\u00a0Photography by Simply Heidi Photography As a mom, there is nothing more joyous than picking out clothes for your little one. It\u2019s wired into our mommy DNA. We adorn barely-there hair. We fold socks over chubby little calves. Then comes the dreaded day.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[103],"tags":[202,130,203,201,205,204],"class_list":["post-665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fashion","tag-ams-models","tag-ann-marie-stonecypher","tag-indie-kids","tag-may-2017","tag-simply-heidi-photography","tag-sky-armory"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/indikidsedit.jpg?fit=5200%2C3467&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":308,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=308","url_meta":{"origin":665,"position":0},"title":"Workout Wear","author":"Staff","date":"January 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Where to Wear and Where Not to Wear By Ann Marie Stonecypher | Photography by Dan Doyle\u00a0 The holidays are behind us. The resolutions are firmly in place. If you\u2019re one of the many who asked Santa for fancy workout wear to help tackle your No. 1 resolution, but are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fashion"","block_context":{"text":"Fashion","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=103"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Fashion-Fashion_0117_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C790&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Fashion-Fashion_0117_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C790&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Fashion-Fashion_0117_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C790&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Fashion-Fashion_0117_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C790&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Fashion-Fashion_0117_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C790&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":610,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=610","url_meta":{"origin":665,"position":1},"title":"Being a Brand Ambassador","author":"Staff","date":"March 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Value of You By Ann Marie Stonecypher | Photography by Dan Doyle I\u2019ve said it before and I\u2019ll say it again: \u201cYou are your brand.\u201d How you dress is an absolute extension of that distinct brand. What are you projecting as your No. 1 Brand Ambassador \u2014 a mantle\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fashion"","block_context":{"text":"Fashion","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=103"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Z_Fashion-forward_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Z_Fashion-forward_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Z_Fashion-forward_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Z_Fashion-forward_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Z_Fashion-forward_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C807&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2209,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2209","url_meta":{"origin":665,"position":2},"title":"\u2018Live like you\u2019re living:\u2019 Remembering Ann Marie Bick","author":"Sarah Hall","date":"December 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Plenty of people talk about making the world a better place. Ann Marie Bick actually did it. \u201cAnn Marie firmly believed that everybody has the ability to do good in this world,\u201d said her husband, Rob Bick. \u201cIf you met her, you could not help but be influenced in a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/AMS-May-2015.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/AMS-May-2015.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/AMS-May-2015.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/AMS-May-2015.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":522,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=522","url_meta":{"origin":665,"position":3},"title":"Fashion Her-Story","author":"Staff","date":"February 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Good, the Bad and the Outrageous By Ann Marie Stonecypher |\u00a0Photography by Peter Levins As a lifetime lover of fashion, nothing is more fun than looking back at its best and worst. We all have our favorite fashion moments. We also have those moments we\u2019re glad predate the digital\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fashion"","block_context":{"text":"Fashion","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=103"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_Fashion-Forward_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_Fashion-Forward_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_Fashion-Forward_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_Fashion-Forward_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_Fashion-Forward_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":289,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=289","url_meta":{"origin":665,"position":4},"title":"Leaving the Color Zone","author":"Staff","date":"January 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Color is the New Black By Ann Marie Stonecypher | Photography by Dan Doyle This month\u2019s article could be subtitled \u201cDo as I say, not as I do,\u201d as I\u2019m totally guilty of living in the dark zone when it comes to fashion. I like black and have an obscene\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Fashion-Forward_0217_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Fashion-Forward_0217_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Fashion-Forward_0217_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Fashion-Forward_0217_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Fashion-Forward_0217_online.jpg?fit=1200%2C791&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2035,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2035","url_meta":{"origin":665,"position":5},"title":"Mommy-and-Me Style","author":"Staff","date":"September 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Keeping Fashion in the Family Story and photography by Nichole A. Cavallaro A trend I\u2019ve seen on the rise since the spread of social media is the Mommy-and-Me style. I think dressing almost identically to your little one (LO), or at least matching closely, can be hit-or-miss with some women.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=101"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Nichole-Mia-.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Nichole-Mia-.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Nichole-Mia-.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Nichole-Mia-.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Nichole-Mia-.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=665"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":669,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665\/revisions\/669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nClothing and styling: Indie Kids <\/a><\/em>
\nLocation: Sky Armory <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n