I remember when one daughter insisted on wearing the same red sparkly shoes--think Dorothy, Kansas--each and every day. All day. With tights. In 90 degree weather. I wondered what other parents would think of me, especially since I had let the same child pair stripes and florals upon demand. But after considering how confident, how proud, how very "herself" she felt asserting herself in this way, I decided to reduce my role to making sure she was clean and checking to see that no body parts were inappropriately on display.