To think that infant school pupils don't need special cover up knickers?

[DrSeuss]

A local FB seller is flogging gingham over knickers to wear with school summer dresses. Just in case a child of five should do a cartwheel and someone should see her underwear for a brief moment, presumably? My daughter is five. While I would not wish her to run around showing her Frozen themed undies to the world all day, I have no wish to teach her that she must cover herself at all times. Having taught as a peripatetic in primary schools, I always walked a fine line between wishing they could sit on a carpet without flashing me their pants and thinking that their innocence and lack of inhibitions were to be held onto as long as possible since they would be sexualised soon enough.
Would any of you want to buy the chequered modesty preservers?

The lady has been inundated so they must be popular. A few copycats have started in my area too.

Well obviously some parents feel this way.

When I'm world dictator, using the word "flash" or "flashing" in relation to a primary aged child- OK, girl, it's always about girls- will be a capital offence.

Gingham knickers sound awful, reminds me of PE knickers at secondary school.

My eldest is 9 and has just asked me to get her some plain black shorts (like cycling short length) to wear under her summer dresses as she likes doing cartwheels and doesn't want everyone seeing her pants. Quite a few of her friend do so I have said yes. I don't think she would have thought about it if her friends hadn't had them to be honest.

I do think 9 is a bit different to a 5 yr old though and wouldn't be encouraging it in reception/Yr1/2.

Oh that sounds likd the old fashioned dress knickers combo baby girls used to wear but my 2 wore shorts under theres saves some kids saying i can see your bum/knickers kids can be silly about bums cant they

Theirs

My dd was told off my the deputy head for sitting in a sand pit so you could see her knickers when she first started school. I took it up with her but she just didn't get it at all. Silly cow.

My 9yo dd has worn shorts under her dress for a couple of summers now, she's always upside down and doesn't want to be exposed. Not sure what the problem is

Id prefer it if girls could wear shorts like boys. I don't think dresses are as practical as shorts and they don't lend themselves to such physical activity.
But no, 5 year olds' pants are nothing to be embarrassed about.

We (I'm 48) used to tuck our dresses into our knickers, so did my DDs, to save showing them, so I've got mixed feelings about this.

I'm now of the opinion that a lot of girls don't have physical confidence, partly because of the restrictions that wearing a dress (and other 'feminine' clothes) puts on them.

Summer school dresses aren't practical, so I'm more on the side of lightweight cotton shorts underneath.

I think that all Girls/Women's clothing should start to be questioned, tbh.

My girls (7 and 10) wear PE cycle shorts under their dresses. This hasn't come from me at all, I think they do get teased by the boys for showing their pants. I think it's sad but better that than they stop doing handstands. I think the boys are quite innocent as well, it's childish silliness not sexual harassment, still wish they'd stop it though.

I find the psyches of people disturbed by glimpses of small children's pants profoundly disturbing. They should probably get an urgent referral somewhere.

HT mentioned shorts/leggings to avoid this for Y5/6 girls and while you'd hope primary could still be childhood some will be edging into puberty then so fair enough. But for little ones it's thoroughly icky.

Lol we had gym knickers at our school Massive navy things you wore over your actual knickers when you had your netball skirt on. I never wore them i thought it was fully ridiculous even at that young age! Why force the girls to wear skirts for netball if you are then gonna get all weird about people potentially seeing their knickers!! doesnt make any sense. Very strange.

My DH is very disturbed by the thought of our DDs Knicks showing and would encourage her to wear shorts under a dress/skirt. He's also prudish about her wearing leggings without a layer over. We just tell him he's ridiculous. His upbringing was pretty repressed.

My girls have asked to wear cycle shorts under their summer dresses since they were 6. No prompting. I have no issue with it.

Asda sell summer dress style play suits, it's shouldn't be a issue but it does highlight the Impracticabilityof summer dresses over shorts/trousers (see also 'girls' fancy dress)

My DD is now in y7 at secondary but the last 2 years of primary school she wore white cotton mix 'modesty' shorts (I couldn't stand the bane but still) under her summer dresses. I bought them on Amazon. They were like short cycling shorts and lightweight enough to not get her all hot and bothered. Before that though she merrily did cartwheels and I'm sure her pants showed 😊

Gingham cover ups sound pretty naff- like summat you'd get with a baby dress to cover a nappy.

I do buy my two sturdier "shorts" pants in summer tho. Nobody needs to see labia in the school playground.

Dd has worn cycle shorts under her summer school dress since reception. She's almost always in jeans or leggings and didn't like the feeling of only wearing a dress.

I agree that school uniforms need a complete overhaul, in fact I would scrap uniforms, especially in primary school, but that's a different thread entirely.

It's desperately sad that children can't just be children, we always have to be looking over our shoulders, it's no fun and actually quite damaging.

DD1's school has banned girls from being upside down without shorts on. Drives me mad. I mean FFS. DD1 cartwheels everywhere, does handstands against any available wall and lives nothing more than hanging upside down on a railing. I put her in skorts for school. She also wears boys pants - but that's a whole other story.

DD (4) came home from school last week really upset because a boy in her class had laughed at her pants which she had on full show as she was pulling her long socks up (long socks at the request of said 4 year old)
I asked her what she thought about it happening again and her response was 'I'll tell him to stop looking!'

If a school is going to insist on a girl wearing shorts under her dress, why bother with dress/skirt? It makes no sense to me!