To make my 8 year old wear mr men swimming trunks ?

[kerstina]

This is more of a what would you have done? Packed my ds s bag for swimming and he saw that it was his mr men trunks .His other ones are at the caravan so no alternative .He was inconsolable,cying his eyes out and very worried he was going to look stupid. I tried my best to rest his fears to no avail. He is usually fine but i found it so hard when its a life times lesson to not to care what people think and want to fit in so much !

turn them inside out maybe??

but I wouldn't make him wear them if he's really upset about it

There is no way I would put on Mr Men trunks on my son, especially if he was crying. My mum used to dress me in clothes totally unsuitable when I was at school and it was hell. I am afraid that when they are school age, children DO care what people think. Just my opinion though

I was bullied horrendously in school for wearing wrong clothes that my mum made me wear

Why do you even have Mr Men trunks for an 8 year old? My 6 year old wouldn't wear them.

Buy plain in future

I wouldn't make him wear them, sorry. I remember my brother being bullied for having the wrong underwear, other children can be so nasty.

they are his old ones that still fit aren't they .

Oh dear. I do think YABU - poor ds stands a high risk of being teased. Stop buying Mr Men, he's 8, not 18 months! ds would have a fit if I tried to make him wear something like that and he's a year younger than yours.

My neice is 8 and with me at mo, she said all the boys wear Swim shorts, never trunks and they would be laughed at in trunks, shes in hysterics at Mr men trunks

I dread him coming home if he has been teased for wearing them .The only alternative was to keep him off school and i did not want to do that .He loves Mr Men he was happy for my mom to buy him them last year .As i pointed out to him adults wear mr men clothes. I will take him shopping for some new ones tomorrow .Feeling bad !

that they even do Mr Men trunks for 8 year olds!

I'm afraid that I'm probably guilty of a similar thing. My 7 year old had a school trip a few months ago and had to wear wellies. He had grown out of his plain blue pair and I could only find Bob the Builder ones in his size.

All his friends had Spiderman/Ben10/etc., they laughed at his Bobs and teased him for the whole trip! I felt awful and gave them to the local charity shop after one wear!

YABU! waaaay too childish for an 8 year old!

grown men wear mr men apparel - what's the big deal, tell him to say he's wearing them 'ironically'

I'm in total agreeement with the others.

What DS liked a year ago doesn't mean he will like it now.

There are not many (any?) people I know who really don't give a toss about what other people think of their appearence.

In all honesty, and I am some one who abides by all the school rules I would have sent a note in and said he had a verucca, ear infection or anything.That's what I would have done.

Not everything has to be a life lesson in how to toughen them up or show them what the real world is about. Sod that! Your lad was heartbroken about looking foolish and it seems you wouldn't consider an alternative.

I would never have done that (and my kids say I should be on the world's strictest parents!!)

nikkershaw grown up men are in control of their own apparel and can make that choice. Grown up men are generally better equipped to fend off bullies than 8 year old boys.

Just for the record i was not wanting him to have a life lesson i was saying its so hard because its taken me a life time to not be quite so worried about what other people think .

DS 12 is often caught watching Cbeebies with DD but would be mortified if anyone knew - I would have made an excuse for him.

i have an 8 year old boy, his mates would just laugh, they'd laugh together at them, it wouldn't cause bullying but i guess it depends on what the other kids are like

Fair enough Kerstina, but I do think it is important to some degree to care what people think.

It can prevent sloppy attitudes and can cultivate a sense of pride in your appearance.

Both my lads are very image concious in different ways. I must admit I fuel it by funding their dress sense but it is about their sense of identity and how they see themselves.

I remember having to wear horrible ghastly Ethel Austin knickers that were so hideous and my mum saying no on will see them. I begged not to wear them. Of course people saw them. In the changing rooms for swimming, getting changed for P E and so on. I got the piss took out of me and it was relentless.

Surely the alternative was to send him without his trunks, tell the truth which was you left them somewhere and then the school would probably find a pair for him to borrow.

YABU
Poor lad, bet he got teased,DD1 is 8 and very conscious of what her friends at school think, its the age isnt it!
Couldnt you have written a letter for swimming saying you forgot his trunks ?

Thinking about it nomedoit that is probably what I would have done.

Of course a 8 year old's not going to wear Mr Men trunks and quite right too.

YABU and yes it does matter what other kids think.

You can teach your dc to be independent and free thinking without setting them up for ridicule by making them wear toddlers' swimwear!

My DS would have ended up in trouble because he would simply have refused to wear them, no matter what the consequences.

I'm suprised they do Mr Men stuff for 8 year olds but then, I noticed Next still do Spider-man underpants and clothing for 13-15 year olds!!

YABU. Poor kid - he may well remember this for a long, long time - especially if he has been laughed at.