I thought character clothes were tacky. My toddler reminded me that his clothes weren't actually about me.

The author says she had rules about parenting before she had kids. Courtesy of the author Before having kids, I made plenty of rules about the parent I would be. I held firm on banning character clothing until my son found shoes he adored. Letting him wear them taught me that not every parenting battle is worth fighting. At the very top of the bin that holds my three boys' shoes sits a bright red reminder of a parenting promise I broke — roughly six years into motherhood. Every time I'm in the mudroom , I see them. Scuffed. Faded. Velcro barely hanging on. The lights in the soles, once flashing with obnoxious enthusiasm, now blink only occasionally, like they're too tired to keep up (much like myself). The author bought her toddler character shoes. Courtesy of the author They should have been tossed months ago.