Photo Contest: "How My Parents Dressed Me" (Share Your Childhood Photos for a Chance to Win)! by Elisa Schmitz

Growing up, I wasn't the best dressed kid. I remember spending a lot of time outside playing, climbing trees, riding my bike and exploring my world. As a tomboy, my clothing choices reflected my priorities. It probably didn't help that my parents weren't all that fashion conscious, either. But, we cleaned up pretty well, and as you can see from the above picture of my brother, sister (Kathy Ast-Kutzbach) and me, we did have our cheesy Partridge Family moments.

But before I dressed myself in those ripped jeans and T-shirts, my mother dressed me like a little doll (una muñeca, as she would say in her native Spanish). As you can see in this treasured photo of my mom and me, when I was 2 1/2 years old and we were living in her homeland of Puerto Rico, I was always in a cute dress, banana curls bouncing.

These days, my style is a combination of chic and comfortable. Like many people, I dress for whatever the day will bring. But I find myself reverting back to those days in dresses quite often. My go-to look is often a dress and boots or wedge heels, depending on the season. And, I'm so grateful for my parents' support, no matter what (this photo is from a 30Second Mom anniversary party).

Raising my kids, I was determined to dress them in the coolest clothes. Despite what they may think as they look back on their childhood photos, I always made sure they looked adorable (as I'm sure my parents thought they did). So why do parents always think they're getting it right, when their kids may not agree with their style choices? I'm sure it's generational, but whatever the case, it's a great opportunity for a laugh, if nothing else. Here's a photo of my tiny dancers.

With that said, it's time to show off your childhood fashion photos! We want to see how your parents dressed you as a kid. Share your fave (or least liked) pics showing how you were dressed back in the day. Submit your photo and the story behind it by Sunday, July 15, 2018. (Remember: This is about YOUR childhood, not your kids - that contest is coming next!)

Each entry in this contest will appear as a post on our site. If you have multiple photos to submit, please submit each one as a separate post with a separate story. After all entries are published on 30Seconds.com, we will officially open it up to a vote. Whichever post has the most likes by Sunday, July 29, 2018 will win! In case of a tie, the one with the most number of legit comments will break the tie. The winner will receive a $75 gift certificate to Shutterfly so you can create your own photo masterpiece! See official contest rules for further details. Good luck, and can't wait to see your pictures!

Thank you to Kimberly Johnson for inspiring this contest!