Turn Daydreams into Reality with JCPenney

It's this time of the year again--time to shop for all the back-to-school supplies! Do you decide for your kids or give them ample freedom to express their own style when it comes to clothes shopping? Seeing that children’s sense of style is often fueled by imagination, JCPenney wants to celebrate the idea that daydreams can become reality and empower kids to express their individual style with affordable clothing items. This back-to-school season, JCPenney has joined forces with SocialMoms on a fun blogging program on children's individual sense of style. The first 80 qualified participants will each receive a $50 JCPenney gift card!

Young as my son is, he has already developed his unique sense of style. I always encourage him to make his own choices when shopping for new outfits and when getting dressed in the morning. He prefers bright colors to dark colors, lime green, red, and navy blue being his favorites. He shows a keen interest in tops featuring his favorite objects or cartoon figures. As a car fanatic, anything with pictures of cars would draw his immediate attention. Mickey Mouse, Dinosaur Train, Winnie The Pooh are his top picks for cartoon themed outfits. Clothes with cute animals like sea turtle, dolphin, monkey, elephant and giraffe are also likely to catch his eyes. Bucket hats and sunglasses are his must-have accessories during summer.

Besides color and pattern, my son also chooses what to wear based on comfort. He will refuse to put on a piece of clothing if it gives him the impression that the fabric is stiff or makes his skin itch. He prefers roomy clothes to those that feel like straightjackets. He favors crew neck over turtle neck, and sports pants over dress pants. For newly bought clothes, he would remind me to take off the labels that may cause discomfort for his skin. It's probably his sensitive skin that has made him so particular about his fabric and style choices.

It often amazes me how well my son expresses his sense of style verbally. When he receives a new outfit as a gift, he will tell me what he thinks of it, what he likes or doesn't like about it, when he wants to wear it, etc. When we go window shopping, he will get excited at the sight of clothes he loves and direct my attention to them. From time to time, he makes compliments about the clothes that his friends at school wear. Not only does he have strong opinions about clothes designed for his age group, he also likes to comment on clothing choices made by adults, like his mom and dad. When I get a new piece of clothing, I love to seek my son's opinion besides that of my hubby's. He would tell me if I look great in this new dress and how it compares to the old one I was wearing. The earnest look on his face often makes me laugh.

I bet your child has her very own sense of style too. Tell us about it in a blog post and you could win a gift card to shop for stylish and affordable clothes at JCPenny!

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and jcpenney blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.