The Power of a Polo

As a product of private, Catholic schools, I didn't have a second thought about wearing a school uniform, as it was simply the norm for 12+ years to have a school uniform.  I never fully appreciated the ease, not the mention the value, of uniforms until I had a daughter of my own.  Oh how I wish she had a uniform!  That would eliminate the daily challenge of finding the perfect outfit to wear to school (no pants...it must be a dress or skirt that can twirl) and preserve her cute clothes from the perils of a sandy playground.

In her Primary class at her Montessori school, it's a mixed-age classroom, with the students ranging from three years-old to kindergarten.  The "kinders" are the only students at this campus who are required to wear a school uniform, a monogrammed purple or white polo shirt.  Alexa cannot wait to be a Kinder, simply for the privilege of wearing the uniform.  

Today was a special Friday for Alexa....it was Park Day at school!  Alexa absolutely loves Park Day, not only because she gets to go to a park with a cool playground (accompanied by the music teacher who's the equivalent of a rock star at the school), but also because she gets to wear the purple uniform shirt to school.  She loves the idea of wearing the uniform polo, as I think she feels a sense of pride and belonging when she's sporting the shirt that's normally exclusive to the Kinder class.  Tonight as she was changing for bed, she was begging me to let her wear her purple polo shirt that she'd been wearing all day.  As cute as she looks in the shirt, there was no way she was going to win that battle with me...'mean Mommy' forced her to change, with the promise that I'd be washing the shirt tomorrow.

I don't ever remember being as excited as Alexa to wear a school uniform...maybe the horrible brown plaid uniforms at North American Martyrs school had something to do with that. :)

Sporting the Mission Montessori polo at an 

after-school event at the pumpkin patch last fall.

(Alexa on the far-right.)