To wonder why people do this because it disturbs me?

[Gossipmonster]

On holiday in Portugal there was a family with three gorgeous boys ages approx 12 - 7.

Dressed identically for the entire week.

Why do people do this? Does it not stifle the children creating their own identity?

More importantly what happens when soneone spills something/needs to change?

Does everyone then have to change?

My sister & I used to demand to wear the same & match. Not out of love, more out of a petty jealousy/not wanting the other to get anything 'over' the other one. Not sure why there was such animosity really - we're 2yrs different in age & VERY different in looks, interests etc. But we get on really well now & never wear the same now...

My older two choose to dress in the same clothes sometimes. They both wear red and white striped t-shirts and blue trousers, and declare 'we're Where's Wally!'. DS2 has grown out of his red and white striped babygro, but when it did fit they wanted him to match too. (Yes, I did feel like a bit of a twat leaving the house with them dressed the same)

They're only 2 and 4 though, so I imagine that they'll grow out of it soon.

Oh and pt children don't get messy or spill anything on their clothes so having to change is never an issue! ;)

I used to live in Portugal and it is a very common sight. It was also usual to see the Dad in matching clothes too! No hint of embarrassment.

The clothes were usually designer so was definitely a 'look at us, aren't we loaded' kinda thing.

My mum used to do this to me and my sister. We hated it. Swore I would never do it to my dc...

My girls WANT to dress the same! I don't buy them the same clothes but they come downstairs in as close a match as possible.

I've only ever done matching sun hats in theme parks, not matching clothes.

Encoraged them to keep them on by saying it helped parents and sister not to loose them, if nothing else.

since they were bright coloured, and not baseball caps, they were very handy for spotting them in a load of taller, wider Americans.

I think it's weird. My DS's (8&6) dress themselves, and although they have a few clothes the same/almost identical (hand me downs from a friend who does do this!) now I think about it, I don't think they've ever gone out wearing the same thing.

As a younger child of 2 I would like to appeal to people to not do this. My grandmother would insist on buying me and my sister matching clothes. Due to my mother's enthusiastic recycling of clothing, this resulted in me wearing the same goddam dress for what seemed like an eternity (4 year age gap, so we would be matching for a year, then a gap of a couple of years until the larger sized fitted me).

My friend does this with her sons, cute but a little disturbing. Fortunately she's not the type to be doing hand-me-downs. (Won't have a penny as long as she's got a hole in her bum).

PICK put matching tops on mine for our journeys abroad to keep a better eye on them.

My mum did this to my sister and I. Worse still, it was always hideous clothes that my grandmother had made for us, which were always made from nasty uncomfortable material with no lining anywhere so the seams were always scratchy and horrible.

Scarred me for life, it did.

I have three children aged 9, 6 and 3. They quite like having the same thing. There is also an element of buy one, buy everyone...and sometimes it's easier to do that the same. I try to buy the same 'theme' (so we all had angry birds t-shirts the last time I went into Asda but they were three different designs) but sometimes it's the same thing. It is not done to upset anyone or be 'offensive'. I find it 'offensive' that my children's clothing choices might be judged by strangers....

There are 5 years difference between me and one of my sisters and 18 months between her and the youngest sister.
My mum had us dress the same.

My youngest sister Cindy, didn't mind but there again she would have been 6 and I was nearly 13. I HATED it and have still not forgiven my mum!

I hate this! My mum did it to me and my sister sometimes and i hated it and swore i would never do it.

With four boys it would look odd, and the elder ones would have a fit if i tried it.

I can see the merit in matching hats or tops uf out somewhere busy i guesd.

But all matching and all the time nope.

One of the mums in my ante-natal.class had twin girls who were always matching and if one got dirty she changed both...why just why?

I actually think it would look quite funny if i dressed my four boys the same and then put dd in a co-ordinating outfit but just no, far too much like hard work. they dont have clothes the same anyway, my mil did used to buy them matching stuff and i told her i didnt like it, she still.buys matching socks occasionally...so.bloody annoying when pairing up socks and you have the same socks in a bunch of sizes!

My dd1 and dd2 used to frequently decide they were wearing the same. They did this up to about a year ago. Now dd1's at secondary and is too grown up for that usually. I never did it deliberately, but it was their choice.

I think there are lot of people on this thread who are the missing point that the children chose it themselves a lot of times.

My 5yo would always chose the same as her 2yo sister given the chance.

Also, who are you people that change a child's outfit when it becomes dirty? Do you walk around carrying a wardrobe of spare clothes? I think its much stranger to feel you have to change your child if they drop a bit of food down themselves than to drop them in matching outfits. I do a quick wash with a baby wipe to get off what I can and that's it.

Once they are over the nappy/potty training stage who carries spare clothes around?

Holiday - sensible idea.

All the time - weird.

My two boys want to have the same tshirts etc, they like the same characters etc so they often wear the same. I really couldn't care less what other people think anyway but I would usually put them in the same brightly coloured t-shirt when at theme parks etc.

Obviously it is accidental that their shorts and trainers may match also

My boys definitely DO choose to. There would be endless arguements if not, sometimes they will choose exactly the same outfit but in different colours.

DMil did this to her 3 sons, including to school throughout primary as there was no uniform. The clothes were homemade as she didn't approve of fashionable clothing (not just to save money or because she liked making them).
They also had matching massive bowlcuts until they were 12 and permitted not to have the approved child haircut any more.
DH is still bitter about being taken for particularly square triplets throughout his childhood.
DBil still shudders about wearing the same outfit for 5 years straight.

Eldest ds likes to match ds2, but to get around it I've bought them matching pj's.

Not identical, no.

But often I will put my two DSs in the same colour, say red, and ask DH to wear his red-tshirt today and I will maybe wear something red too, so then I know I have a full reds wash. Rather than a reds, a lights and a darks and a whites all out of one day's clothing.

I do have a set of matching t shirts for mine, they say thing 1 thing 2 and thing 3 on (from Cat in the Hat) they are bright red and do make it easier to locate the kids when they wear them. However does sound a bit ott on this occasion, v organised parents!

Very very disturbing. I mean, at SOME schools, they make all the children dress identically 5 days a week. Lifetime of issues those poor kids will have

Cripes freaky. Ds1 and 2 are often dressed similarly in that there is only so different you get make stripy polo shirt and jeans/shorts look.

My grandmother used to try and dress db and I the same. My mother relented once and bought us matching track suits and trainers. . Not entirely sure that's what my grandma had it mind. She never asked again.