7 yo boy wants to wear dress and tights to school

Where did I say every day?

If boys and girls all had the same haircut and clothes till puberty, I think at that stage they’d break out of that unisex uniform and set up new stereotypes of boy/girl of their own accords.

You might disagree with my point, but if you’ve ever worked in a primary school you’d know the reality. The skirts would be drenched in urine. Most boys do not sit down to pee. I don’t know what your vision of modern Scotland is but kilts aren’t everyday wear for most males. An adult man in a kilt is very different to a young boy in a school skirt as anyone can see. Your point was why are skirts more practical for girls than boys. Using the toilet is the obvious answer.

Isn't saying 'x item of clothing is for 'x gender' part of the problem?

Absolutely!

I brought it into the conversation because someone else brought up the issues of going to the toilet as a reason for a boy not to wear a dress. What a ridiculous argument. The OP and her family are in Scotland, so if there's one place in the UK where men and boys going to the toilet whilst wearing a skirtlike item of clothing is a pretty normal thing to do, it's there! So how is it an actual problem exactly?

Me disengeneous? Going to the toilet is just being used as a (very flimsy) reason against boys wearing dresses or skirts. That argument falls apart very quickly, and all that's left is "boys don't wear dresses just because" which feeds into this notion that x is for girls and y is for boys.

There are campaigns against gendering clothing and toys, clothing and toybrands and retailers are regularly criticised for gendering their products, and some retailers have made efforts to put their items into age groups rather than gender-based groups.

OP, I'm not having a go at you, you've brought him up in a way that tries to get away from all that nonsense, which is great, it's a shame you've met this stumbling block. Like some others have said many schools are going the way of stating a universal dress code and removing the gendering of uniforms, and that's the way forward.

If your son's school insists on a boy/girl uniform code, it could be reasonable to say to your son that his school are old fashioned and a bit silly to be like that whilst still telling him he can wear a dress outwith school in his own time. At the same time explaining that many people also hold old fashioned views and that he might attract comments.

Isn't saying 'x item of clothing is for 'x gender' part of the problem? This is making people think being a woman = wearing a skirt, and if you are interesting in presenting this way it's dysphoria.

I'd say let him wear it but say people might behave strangely. Be clear to the school he's not trans, and if there is a feeling he might be this is only a conversation for parents. Then reflect with him afterwards how it felt and how people were.

Stompy not stumpy!!!

Exactly this - the Zealot will be socially transitioning him, giving him a new name and fast tracking him on to the rainbow path in a heartbeat.

All for wearing a piece of clothing that boys don't normally wear. Unfortunately that's where we are now.
Maybe get him a kilt as others have said, some black leggings to go underneath and some excellent stumpy boots.

As you are in Scotland, could he not wear a kilt? My Scottish nephews wore kilts when they were younger and often still wear them now they are adults.

For the love of God.

This is one 7 year old little boy who doesn’t have gender dysphasia issues from what I understand.

A perfectly ‘normal’ child questioning rules and here we all are debating whether or not he should be encouraged.

He is 7, as a parent as an adult it is our duty to help shape little minds into acceptance,tolerance and understanding but it is our most important job to help them have a happy and joyful childhood and that means certain rules.

As parents,as adults helping young children ‘grow’ into the world we will sometimes have to say no, have to accept conformity and unfortunately rules.

Where will we draw the line at allowing children making the decisions about childhood?

let’s not have our children need therapy to recover from unparented childhoods.

kilt

I referred to being treated as less than because you introduced the concept of differential treatment which implies that where two classes of people are treated differently, one of them is disadvantaged. Perhaps you didn’t intend the phrase to have that meaning.
In fairness the OP says her son has said WHY can’t I wear a dress to school. Not I want to wear a dress to school.

One 7 year old musing about wearing a dress is not "creating a demand", give over!

I don't know where you have got 'treated as less than' from my posts, I have only referred to sexes being treated differently.

The OP's son is creating a demand to wear skirts / dresses at their school...So as per the logic in your post - this should be respected & implemented as school policy?

If this little boy doesn’t sit down to pee, and doesn’t know how to direct his pee, why would any poster try to make this ‘an issue’ saying some boys and men do?

OP would have said something a while back if this little boy sat down to pee. And didn’t.

Bringing it into the conversation the way Goldpaw has, seems like another disingenuous ‘look at the supposed feminists’ post to me.

Of course girls should be able to wear trousers, but that doesn’t appear to be the uniform policy at this school. I am sure if there was a demand for girls to wear trousers the school would have implemented it. A difference doesn’t mean that boys or girls are being treated as less than the other, which was your previous point.

Why do they both have to wear different uniforms?

Do you think girls shouldn't be allowed to wear trousers to school?

Yes some do, but most don’t. We are talking about a school with young children. They aren’t at home where someone can help them. It has absolutely nothing to do with enforcing gender norms and everything to do with pragmatism when dealing with groups of young children.

I am not altogether GC.

I don’t think even Professor Kathleen Stock thinks all gender norms serve no purpose or are necessarily redundant, but I am not an expert on what she has said.

Yes, it's blindingly obvious that they can. None the less, the vast majority don't.

This is obviously going to shock some of you but men and boys can, and frequently do, sit down to have a pee.

I'm pretty sure a large proportion of people on this thread are gender critical, and yet when push comes to shove here some of you are trying to enforce gender norms.

If he doesn't wear one elsewhere, and isn't constantly in dresses outside of school, why the sudden desire he has to wear one at school?

No, they both have a uniform, one for girls and one for boys. There is no negative impact on a boy not being able to wear a girl’s uniform.

I can't make head nor tail of that? Boys wear boys uniform , girls wear girls uniform. No one is being treated differently.

For children to learn to think outside the box they have to first know that there is a box and what’s in it and why. Because most people they’ll ever meet live in there.