NYC With Teens - Learning How To Dress

I personally believe there are many forms of education…in and out of the classroom.  For me, I’ve always cherished learning from traveling and have made that a priority for my family.  For Isabella’s 13th birthday I took her to New York City.  I wanted to expose her to the buzz of a city like NYC.  I wanted to show her all the culture the city has to offer through the various neighborhoods, museums, the theatre, the variety of people, the different types of transportation and so on.  And the fabulous restaurants!  There is so much to learn from NYC!!!

There definitely was a learning curve on getting her ready in terms of what to pack and wear on this trip.  And I will say it was a joint effort between myself and my mom & sister-in-law.  My sister-in-law and her girls also joined us so we both took this opportunity to teach our girls on how to prepare.  It was helpful that the girls heard a consistent message from others besides their mom.  Not only did we need them to understand they needed to dress appropriately (no athleisure!!) but also how to do so in cold conditions.  It’s much different than our Texas weather!

I’ve noticed over the years that I needed to put new pieces in front of Isabella multiple times before she could wrap her brain around it.  Anything outside of athleisure is not familiar to her.  For example, her nice winter coat *might* have been in her closet for 2 years before she warmed up to the idea of it.  I know, it’s so frustrating!

I also made a point to show Isabella people her age dressing nicely for similar occasions.  For young girls, they don’t want to stand out and look weird.  They don’t necessarily trust that their momma knows what they are talking about.  If they can see it, they can visualize it on themselves.

I’ve been making a huge effort over the last few years to not only teach Isabella how to dress, but also create opportunities where she needs to dress appropriately.  I think it helps her get comfortable with a variety of settings when it comes to dressing.  It’s a different form of education that is truly a life skill that takes you into your adulthood.

I think it’s helpful to articulate how it’s respectful to dress appropriately for the right occasion.  My children understand being respectful, so I think that puts it in language that they understand.  It’s not just because my mom told me too. 😊

For my family, I’ve noticed over the last few years (especially as my kids get comfortable with voicing their opinions!!!) my kids are really wanting to stay within their bubble and only travel to places they are familiar with.  So I’m trying to be more thoughtful in how we teach them about new parts of the world in these formative years.  Again, I think this is a great way to educate them in not only different cultures but also how to dress appropriately.  There are all kinds of education!!!

If you would like a copy of our NYC with teens itinerary, send me an email here.

If you would like to shop my wardrobe essentials teens, click here to shop.

with LOVE and grace,

Elizabeth