Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old
The prompt
“How much input do you feel like you should get in choosing your own clothes?”
What to listen for
If they have a clear, reasoned opinion, they're testing out ownership over how they present themselves to the world, a normal and healthy part of building independence, worth taking seriously even if you keep some limits.
If they say they don't care either way, that might be genuine, or it might mean they've learned not to bother having an opinion about it, a gentle follow-up can tell you which.
If they say "I don't know," ask about a specific recent outfit choice and how that decision actually went.
What this tells you
This tells you how much control over their own identity they feel they currently have, at least in this one visible way.