What Happened to Play Clothes?

 I don't want to take Bitty Baby out of her box sew, I have been trying out the clothes I have made them as best I can working around all the plastic straps and wraps. Here is her new sun dress with matching panties.

And a floppy hat. I didn't have enough of the fabric to make a hat so I pulled some white scraps out. By adding the decorative stitching in matching thread color I think it will do just fine. Can't see from this photo but I also added an elastic strap to the hat, maybe the grands won't lose it on the first day of play!

Short post as I have a million things I need to finish up today after spending the day with DD#1 yesterday cleaning out the grands closets and drawers, OH MY.  Note to self STOP buying so many things for the Grands.

 Each kiddo had 2 large boxes of outgrown practically new clothes to be passed on to other families. DD#1 has a friend with two boys who receive Tyler's things, a cousin will be getting Mason's, another friend who has FIVE little girls will score with big Karsyn's. Were the closets and drawers empty when we were finished? Heck no they still have more than any one kiddo needs and then some. Tyler will have to have new pants once again as he is still growing like a weed. The boy is going to be super tall like his 6'5" Daddy.

When we had Ty boy try on his jeans to see if they still fit they were an inch or two short. DD threw them in the give away pile. Hey wait a minute can't he use those as play jeans I ask? She gave me the funniest look. Seems DD doesn't have a play clothes drawer for any of her sweet kidletts. We got to talking about when our DD's were little the first thing they had to do after school was to change into play clothes while I put together their after school snack. I took it for granted that our DD's had a play clothes drawer, not so.

Has the idea of good clothes and play clothes gone out the window? Hubby and I could never have afforded to keep our girls in good clothes year round, day in and day out. Our girls knew school clothes were just that, for school. The older things, stained and such were for playing in. The two were never mixed. We expected our girls to be neat, tidy and modest when they went out the door in the mornings. After school it was a different story! Ha DD#1 was always and still is a girly girl, her play clothes were mostly older dresses that we didn't think were nice enough for school. DD#2 and #3 were a different breed, they were TOM BOYS all the way. The only time I could get them in a dress was for school. Same with shoes, they had school shoes and play shoes.

I do believe DD might have had a light bulb moment as we were packing up boxes yesterday. I see a play clothes drawer coming around in the very near future!! Is is old fashion to expect children to know they shouldn't play in their nice things? The babies are a bit of a different story as they get changed OFTEN but by school age seems to me they need to learn the difference.

Hubby and I still have our play clothes rule in place. NO WAY is he allowed to go in the garage with his work clothes on. I would never dream of mowing the lawn, working in the garden, cleaning house and such in my good stuff. Has anyone else noticed this new way of dressing the kids in that they don't look like ragga muffins when they are playing in the dirt!?