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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that leggings as school uniform is not 'lazy parenting'?

208 replies

NewStateswoman · 05/05/2017 10:55

Had a bit of a debate last night with a friend.

My DD wears black leggings to school. Her school isn't that strict about uniform; ties are optional, polo shirts are normal, etc. They do a daily mile run and lots of outdoors activities, and gym 3 times a week.

She's comfortable in leggings, they keep her warm, so that's what she wears (sometimes - she also has skirts and a summer dress).

But my friend was very scathing about the leggings! She says it's lazy parenting, to which I asked in which way I was a lazy parent for sending my daughter to school in comfortable clothes which adhere to the dress code.

She had no reply; essentially she just doesn't like leggings. It's sloppy, apparently, to let kids wear leggings, but other forms of black trousers are ok. I think she assumes it's to save me on ironing, maybe? Which it isn't.

So AIBU to let my daughter go to school in leggings?

OP posts:
IonaNE · 05/05/2017 21:15

Does everything you wear come half way down your thighs?
Probably not. But she probably wears more than just leggins on her bottom, too.

Original poster
NewStateswoman · 05/05/2017 21:23

Who, sorry?

OP posts:
romae6 · 05/05/2017 21:27

Leggings aren't trousers.

LadySalmakia · 05/05/2017 21:31

newstateswoman, we are the most rightest people there have ever been over this issue.

LEGGINGS ARE A TYPE OF TROUSERS, PEOPLE. Not a very smart type of trousers, not a type of trousers that are good to wear for a job interview or without a long top, but THEY ARE TROUSERS.

LadySalmakia · 05/05/2017 21:33

Hah. The Oxford English Dictionary is extremely clear that they are trousers - blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2017/03/are-leggings-trousers/

Greenifer · 05/05/2017 21:33

moving to the USA and seeing my DC in a non-uniform school has really changed my views on this

This is what I've always suspected - that an awful lot of people might alter their blind allegiance to uniform if they actually experienced what a well-run non-uniform school is like. In fact, most of the issues people tend to cite around why uniform is better are just indicators of poor schools (bullying about clothes, everyone being the same, all that stuff).

Original poster
NewStateswoman · 05/05/2017 21:42

I'm happy with your assessment of the situation LadySalmakia Grin

OP posts:
CountryCaterpillar · 05/05/2017 21:44

Wow I've never heard of a school allowing leggings instead of trousers. I've seen.cycling shorts under dresses etc. Id be feeling inwardly a bit judgey or wonder if the mum was a younger generation than me (I started at 30, many around here start at 20.)We see kids in leggings on non uniform day but with tunics etc.

I occasionally see leggings as trousers on adults and it looks awful. Had no idea schools allowed it!!

Jazzywazzydodah · 05/05/2017 21:54

So that must mean tights are classed as 'trousers' too.

Tbf though some ladies look like they are wearing bloody tights

Original poster
NewStateswoman · 05/05/2017 22:00

No Jazzy because tights encase the feet and trousers end at the ankles.

Country can I ask what you find so surprising? After all they're just a style of trouser.

OP posts:
sailorcherries · 05/05/2017 22:10

Sailorcherries uniform isn't required in Seconday school to prepare people for office dress codes. There's 320 million people in the USA, the majority of whom manage to meet their professional dress codes quite happily without ever having worn a school uniform.

It depends on what the uniform code is though surely. I spoke about a 'traditional uniform', but didn't make reference to what it consisted of, you assumed it meant one type of uniform.
If the school uniform is 'dark bottoms, white top' then your child sticks to it. If it is 'nothing offensive, no sports colours, no gang colours or affiliated symbols' then you stick to it. That is the uniform, even without trousers/skirt/blazer/shirt/tie. A traditional uniform in that place of learning/work makes a decision about what is an is not acceptable to wear.

A uniform is a uniform and, in my opinion, a secondary school should impose some rules about what can and cannot be worn, in the same way a workplace would have these expectations of employees.

Someone who works in McDonalds, Asda, Pets at Home, Ikea etc all have a uniform as set out by their employer. Someone who is a teacher, lawyer, doctor etc has another expected standard of dress code. Someone who is a personal trainer, carer and so forth have another expected dress code. All of those are 'uniforms'.

sailorcherries · 05/05/2017 22:16

As I said, if leggings are an accepted part of your school's uniform policy then wear them. If it is not then you do not allow your child to wear them.

If you are allowed to wear high heels then let your child, if not then do not allow them.

It has no impact on their learning but the rules should be followed.

My son, for example, hates all trousers that are not jogging bottoms. He cannot stand the fabrics, feels, structure and so on of any other trouser.
Jogging bottoms are not part of his uniform and therefore he doesn't wear them, he follows the rules. There are no ifs or buts. If your school/workplace allows it then go for it, if they don't then you don't.

Most places have a uniform or dress code to some degree and children should be expected to follow it.

IonaNE · 05/05/2017 22:17

No Jazzy because tights encase the feet and trousers end at the ankles.
I see. So footless tights are... trousers, too? Hmm
www.uktights.com/tights/footless-tights

LadySalmakia · 05/05/2017 22:20

JazzyWazzyDoodah, from the OED, on tights - which they class as underwear due to usage:

"Some critics however, have an issue with leggings as an ‘outer garment’. They feel that, because of their tight, form-fitting style, leggings are not actually suitable as outerwear. They would instead class them alongside tights or pantyhose, which we place in the semantic category ‘underwear’ (defined as ‘clothing worn under other clothes, typically next to the skin’). However, when writing our dictionaries we always rely on evidence of a word’s actual use – and it is clear from all of our sources that leggings are most commonly worn as trousers rather than underwear. As the Oxford English Corpus shows, leggings are more than twice as likely to be paired with shirts and tops as they are with skirts or dresses."

blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2017/03/are-leggings-trousers/

I have absolutely no idea why I feel so invested in this, I don't even wear bloody leggings, I don't think they're smart enough to be seen out of the house in!!

LadySalmakia · 05/05/2017 22:22

Some of those footless tights are leggings, and some of them are tights without feet. Clearly ;-)

Gileswithachainsaw · 05/05/2017 22:36

I'm wearing leggings right now Grin

Dd (10) will no doubt be in leggings and a crop top tomorrow. She only wears leggings Grin

Plunkette · 05/05/2017 22:42

Actually Sailorcherries I wasn't making any assumptions about the kind of uniform.

Most American schools have no uniform of any kind. All those pupils still mange to adhere to the dress code or uniform standards of their employers when they start work. It's not difficult, you don't need to learn it in school.

Original poster
NewStateswoman · 05/05/2017 23:00

I don't know why I'm so invested either! Apart from it feels like a logic v perception argument and it bugs me that the logic argument is just swept aside by how people feel about them instead.

Feels like a bit of snobbery going on; like the person upthread who said they would judge and assume I was a young mum. I'm 41, and chose a pair of trousers for my daughter that a) adhered to the uniform and b) were comfortable and c) she would be happy to wear. Judge away!

OP posts:
LadySalmakia · 05/05/2017 23:06

That's it exactly! It's important to think clearly and just saying "they aren't trousers because feelings" isn't thinking clearly.

It's not wrong to say they aren't smart and you wouldn't wear them on their own like jeans - that's how I feel as well - but that doesn't have any bearing on whether they are trousers or not.

And you're right about a touch of snobbery, to take it right back to your mate's original comment - "lazy parenting" really means "I have standards and you don't". They're 6, ffs, if it fit with the school dress code they could wear PJs and it wouldn't matter.

Gileswithachainsaw · 05/05/2017 23:14

I think it's quite simple really.

People should wear or dress their kids in what they see fit.

People and kids should wear wtf they like provided it's of course safe or advisable to do so. So t shirts and shorts in a blizzard with a 2 mile walk to school and no coat. No. Trying to climb a tree in one of those mermaid dresses...no....

People should judge others by their actions and their behaviour towards them. So rude or abrasive snotty staff member on the clinique counter in boots your expensive designer pant suit or friendly helpful kind emo lad complete with mesh vest and guy liner...i know which one is getting my commendation on the comment card...

And most importantly people need to keep their eye off a six yr olds arse and attaching adult connotations to it if it's not covered in some sack cloth...

Greenifer · 06/05/2017 00:10

I genuinely can't think of one reason why a pair of polyester trousers would be better as schoolwear for a primary school aged child than a pair of leggings. They are little kids who need to be comfortable to learn.

WomblingThree · 06/05/2017 00:33

FFS, all the people sneering that they've never come across leggings as uniform...you do realise there's a big world outside your immediate bubble do you?

I mean, I've never seen Australia, but I know it's real 🙄

Keepthebloodynoisedown · 06/05/2017 03:57

Try to go for a job interview with leggings , and see how it work
No, but I also wouldn't go to a job interview in jeans, even though I wear them for work. And she's 6, I doubt she's got many job interviews at the moment.

I don't understand how school uniform helps with dress codes for work. Wearing a uniform isn't hard, whereas picking appropriate clothes for work might be, which is what you have to do if you don't have a uniform.

user1491326393 · 06/05/2017 04:21

a 6yo in leggings is beyond fine

your friend is weird a.f

nooka · 06/05/2017 04:32

I can't imagine that there are very many schools that have no guidance at all about clothes, although I have worked (and do right now) for organisations that don't have dress codes.

My dd often wears leggings to school. She is 16 and looks just fine. No tunics (not really a teenage style!) but I don't think her bum is any more problematic in leggings compared with jeans which tend to be her other winter choice. She also has a part time job which requires her to wear a uniform and has no problem with that (and she wore a skirt to her interview without any great angst).

I find it hard to imagine why anyone would have an issue with a 6 year old in leggings, seems eminently practical to me. I do feel sorry for children forced to wear uncomfortable clothes that they really dislike. I can't imagine that makes them feel kindly towards their schools or likely to perform at their best.