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We still allow them the freedom to choose their own style
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All in all, Ebony and Denise just want to encourage their family to find their own style.
“Olivia is totally against anything that looks remotely masculine whatsoever,” says Ebony. “She likes a skirts, dresses, pink, shirts with really nice designs and colors. She will stay away from anything that should remotely be on her brothers.”
“But let’s just say, if the boys wanted to dress in girl clothes, we’ll allow that,” adds Denise. “It’s just all about freedom of expression, and whatever they want to wear, they can.”
In an unexpected twist, this type of mindset has even inspired Ebony when it comes to her style.
“I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and I’ve been trying to do this for the longest time,” says Ebony. “I’m so inspired by the patterns and the colors they wear. We’re heading into Spring and it’s all about colors. I’m tired of my black and gray. I’m ready for color. We’re colorful!”
For Olivia, getting dressed is always a bit more of an event. “She’s the epitome of a girlie girl,” says Ebony. “We set her clothes out the night before because I know how much time it will take if we try to plan her wardrobe the day of.” Denise says, “She’s a diva in the making.”
That being said, they definitely think their children take some inspiration from Mom and Mama. “I feel like they mimic us a lot,” explains Denise. “Olivia wants to dress like Mom, and the boys — they dress like Mama.”
“I think we’re the inspiration, but we still allow them the freedom to choose their own style,” says Ebony. “They teeter off of example, and then go into their own world and say, ‘I’m gonna do it the way I want to do it.’”
When it comes to encouraging freedom of expression, no one has it down quite like Ebony and Denise, the couple behind Team2Moms. Raising their daughter Olivia and twin boys Jayden and Lucas has certainly changed their outlook on embracing individuality, and adding their godson Christian into the mix and makes their family full of different personalities that much more unique. While their parenting styles are constantly adjusting with new experiences, the number one way they encourage their family to express themselves is through fashion.
Meanwhile, Christian loves getting snazzy with his bow ties, and staying comfortable in sneakers. “His whole look is urban chic,” says Ebony. “It’s like, ‘Come on, ladies, follow me.'”
And when it comes to making strong choices, Olivia and Christian love expressing themselves through fashion. Olivia is all about the sparkle. In fact, anything pink or with sparkles, glitter, confetti, and pom-poms is for Olivia. “She’s over the top,” says Ebony. When Olivia put on her ruffled dress, she said, “Mommy, I’m a princess!”
As their children grow and learn, Ebony (known as Mom) and Denise (known as Mama) say they expect their children and godson to gravitate toward the nontraditional. “We’re not a traditional family, and there are just so many edges and differences and uniqueness about our family,” says Ebony. “We feel they’re just going to continue that ‘I’d rather wear that because I don’t see many people wearing that’ mindset. They’re going to be bold.”
We're not a traditional family
Denise and Ebony say their thought process on dressing their kids has definitely evolved over time. When they were first born, they wanted to put them in cute, matching outfits, from head to toe. Then when they became toddlers, priorities shifted to simply making sure that they looked clean. However, now that their kids are more vocal and opinionated, it's important to Denise and Ebony to encourage them to develop and express their own personal style.
Olivia, 6
Christian, 5
Ebony + Denise
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