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Original poster

To think Dressing your kids identical a bit tacky?

407 replies

Joannearobbo · 09/08/2017 09:00

My friend has a 12 year old and 2 twin boys (not identical) who are 9 and every day dresses them exactly the same.
Everything is the same..tops/socks/jackets etc
I think it's a bit naff...but each to their own I guess.
What do you think?

OP posts:
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6
PoppyPopcorn · 09/08/2017 09:03

Not a bit tacky - a LOT tacky.

Surprised that at 12 and 9 they're all prepared to go along with it though. My 9 year old would go and change if he's accidentally pput on something similar to what his siblings are wearing.

Iwasjustabouttosaythat · 09/08/2017 09:04

I don't like it either but now I have twins I get it somewhat. I'm so bored of shopping! It's easier just to buy two of something if I find something I like. Half the time they end up reserving the same thing and it's not deliberate. Of course that doesn't last long until they make a mess and I change one of them. I can't imagine being bothered with the effort to change them both every time to keep them looking the same. And I think it's utterly ridiculous when people dress different aged siblings the same. They look ridiculous.

Aspieparent · 09/08/2017 09:05

One of my pet hates this. I have a 2 and a 3 year old. My grandma was massivly disappointed when i siad i will not be dressing them the same at all. They have different characters and look better in different clothes. I also don't understand the reasonibg behind dressing siblings the same.

Iwasjustabouttosaythat · 09/08/2017 09:06

Reserving = wearing.

LoyaltyAndLobster · 09/08/2017 09:06

Tacky is not the word...

scrabbler3 · 09/08/2017 09:06

I'm surprised that the 12 year old submits to that tbh.

BabsGanoush · 09/08/2017 09:06

Boys probably don't care. Girls are more particular.

HipsterHunter · 09/08/2017 09:06

Aw sometimes it is really cute!

SerfTerf · 09/08/2017 09:07

Like you said, each to their own.

Apart from the thing of bitching about your "friends@ online for very minor things that are none of your business. That's ALWAYS tacky.

fruityb · 09/08/2017 09:08

My friend did this with her daughters who were about 13 months apart. The eldest is 9 now and she still does it. I get that it's easier to spot your kids somewhere if they're dressed the same but even still, it's silly.

timeisnotaline · 09/08/2017 09:08

I will happily do that to my kids when they are small. I won't care what you think about it either. Hth Grin

LoyaltyAndLobster · 09/08/2017 09:08

SerfTerf agreed.

RiverTam · 09/08/2017 09:09

I don't like it but I may be tarred by the fact that I used to live near a pair of adult twins (late 30s?) who dressed identically, to the extent of carrying the same carrier bags. They didn't look happy and they were often arguing. It seemed pretty dysfunctional.

NataliaOsipova · 09/08/2017 09:14

I always thought that....until my kids were absolutely obsessed with it and wanted to wear exactly the same. They bloody loved it. So it was entirely up to them and not the business of anyone else. Why would you care?

PansyGiraffe · 09/08/2017 09:15

Telling my children (one boy, one girl) what to wear has been a hiding to nothing since they were about three. They do have a couple of teeshirts the same (or similar - eg same design, different colour) which they like wearing together though - they'll often go and get changed to match. They are 9 and 10 now.

TheUpsideDown · 09/08/2017 09:17

My DM used to do this with my younger DSIS and I when we were kids. We're not even twins, there's 3 yrs between us.

I was always a bit of a tomboy, to my DMs despair. At any family occasion or special day out she'd force me into matching outfits as DSIS. My DSIS was very much 'girly' and loved all the identical pretty flouncy frilly shit my DM put us both in. But I detested it. Found it excruciatingly embarrassing. I still cringe at all the old photos of us dressed like clones.

Yes it's tacky

twohandstwokids · 09/08/2017 09:19

My SIL did this with her four boys. I thought tacky - then she explained it's super easy to find them all in a busy playground. Tacky became genius! Although they are getting on. Don't they have an opinion?

LockedOutOfMN · 09/08/2017 09:21

We live in Spain where this is very, very popular. It's a way of showing that you can afford not to do "hand me downs" and buy 2, 3, 4 or 5 sets of new clothes at once.

We have one boy and one girl so are thankfully saved from even contemplating this.

As a child, I was sandwiched between brothers and my sister's 9 years younger than me so there was - luckily - no opportunity to dress us identically either.

I think children should choose their own clothes as much as possible, as long as they are sufficiently warm / waterproof / protective for wherever they're going that day. Most of them are already forced into school uniforms 5 days a week, as well as things like sports' kits. It's nice for them to have some autonomy over what they put on in their free time.

meltingmarshmallows · 09/08/2017 09:25

My DH is an identical twin and has always said how much he hates this. It made him feel like they shared an identity and weren't free to be individuals. I think as tiny babies it's ok but further on no.

StepAwayFromCake · 09/08/2017 09:26

I have a boy and a girl two years apart. Until they were about 5 and 7 we would occasionally dress them the same, or Topsy and Tim style, mostly because we'd been given matching outfits as gifts. It was fun or cute for the occasionalness of it. Certainly wouldn't do it as an everyday thing! And they liked it and would choose to do it, too, purely because it was occasional and therefore amusing.

I have a Continental friend who always dresses her three (non-twin) dds the same. When she first came to the UK she was bemused by school uniforms, but then decided they were a good thing - and carried the principle over into everyday life. That's a bit weird.

Also weird IMO is the family with 3 dds in different school years in one of my dcs' schools. They always have new coats in September, but they are always identical coats, which means none of them get handed down. What a waste!

thepatchworkcat · 09/08/2017 09:26

I think it's cute for very little siblings but like others have said I'm surprised at the children in the OP still putting up with it. My DS at 4 is already very keen to choose his own clothes!

GettingMarried17 · 09/08/2017 09:27

I have a 3.5 year old and 1 year old, I'm totally guilty of dressing them the same if we're on a day out! Eldest is autistic, and my vague thought is that if he bolts and someone has to find him, at least I can point to he younger one and say 'That's what he's wearing!' 😂
Plus, they look pretty cute. They have the same dungarees and often wear them with different coloured t-shirts, as someone above said, so much easier to find one item of clothing you like than 2 🙈

AVY1 · 09/08/2017 09:32

I think it depends - matching Christmas jumpers is cute, the same special occasion dresses for a family gathering is fine in my book.

But for everyday I'm not sure I could cope with the faff of making sure everyone's identical t-shirts and jeans were clean at the exact same time.

RebootYourEngine · 09/08/2017 09:33

On days out to busy places i think is ok but everyday is tacky and a shame for the children. Like they arent individuals.

Saw a family yesterday where all three boys of varying ages from about 10-3 were all dressed the same down to their hairstyles. It looked daft.

AGnu · 09/08/2017 09:35

We have a family member who buys us identical jackets for the DC. I'm not spending extra money to buy them more clothes when they have something that will do so they often go out with the same jackets on & usually wear jeans so they do look rather matchy. It's not something I'd choose to do deliberately but it doesn't bother me & the only comments we've had about it have been positive.

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