To dress my son in girls clothes

[SleepingStandingUp]

By which I mean things like leggings and tops that have shimmer and shine, mlp, the girls off paw patrol etc rather than dresses.

Ds is 2, loves pink and glittery and ask the above characters but people act like its child abuse.

Presumably no one would care if s 3yo DD wanted to wear Thomas the Tank Engine

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

I did with my son at that age.

[RatRolyPoly]

It was a joke.



I'll get my coat.

[AssassinatedBeauty]

Oh, that must be annoying. I'd ask them what they were worried about, and see if they can explain it!

Leggings are just narrow leg trousers, fgs. It matters not at all.

[FinallyHere]

'proper clothes'

[SleepingStandingUp]

AssassinatedBeauty they wouldn't go so far as to say is turn him anything, they know I wouldn't care if he's gay or trans so long as he is happy. It would just be a vague not necessary answer, a tone of comment that I know is judgement. Perhaps someone on this thread who wouldn't other than Strummer can articulate?

[SleepingStandingUp]

alpineibex i agree

[JoeStrummersBullshitDetector]

Your poor son. Perhaps you need to listen to some Who..

g.co/kgs/NSEUtq

[purpleweasel]

dark clothes are better, they show the mud/dinner/paint/etc less...

[OutyMcOutface]

@auntfanny how have you not worn a shirt since you left school? Even so did you not dress yourself at school? I have zero intention of ironing my son's shirts for the next fifteen years. And obviously I don't dress my two year old is proper clothes (he is too young to benefit). I dress my nearly four year old in that stuff (not keastbof all because that is what husbuniform will entail when he starts school).

[SleepingStandingUp]

OutyMcOutface the fact that his uniform will be shirt, tie and trousers is all the more reason to not do it day to day. Scuffed knees, messy play etc was designed with leggings, joggers and t-shirts in mind.

Is you son George, little sister Charlotte?

[WeAllHaveWings]

I wouldn’t, but only because at 2 they shouldn’t be giving a shit what they are wearing other than it’s comfortable and I wouldn’t be encouraging or toleranting any fussiness about clothes at this age other than for comfort.

[AssassinatedBeauty]

Lots of schools have polo shirts instead of the traditional shirt.

My eldest had not really worn button up shirts when he started reception, so I spent a while helping him until he learnt to do it. I don't think it's vital that all boys wear button up shirts under the age of 4 so that they are prepared for school!

[SleepingStandingUp]

WeAllHaveWings I may have been nice mommy if they're weren't nice slouchy leggings. But I know he well also wear whatever i put him in

[YerAuntFanny]

Because I have had zero interest or need to wear a shirt since school. I wouldn't day it's standard clothing choice for most tbh.

My 4 year old won't be wearing shirts to school so she doesn't have to get used to them. She can manage buttons on her polo shirts and jackets etc etc.

Her nursery uniform is polo shirt and joggers, school will be a polo shirt and pull on trousers.

My 11yo is off to high school this year and despite having never worn a shirt unless it's a special occasion he managed to try one on without me having to do it for him. I'm really not getting the issue.

[FingersCrossedHard]

In rl, barely anyone would do this. You and your son will look weird and most people will judge the fuck out of you

Explain to me why it's weird. What do you think is going to happen to a boy if he wears "girl's" clothes?

I don't think anything will 'happen' mother - why would I?

You don't usually see toddler boys dressed in pink sequins or dresses or any other generally 'girly' clothes - to see such is unusual or 'weird' - and yes, the unusual tends to be judged.

Not sure I can explain more than that.

[codswallopandbalderdash]

I'm afraid people will make comments. I'm one of the ones that doesn't give a shit what children wear as long as it makes them feel good. But gender stereotyping through clothes starts young - my DS age 5 told me the other day that I should wear pink because I'm a girl! Poor sod got a lecture from me ... he is the same kid who knows to say FireFighter Sam (not Fireman) after a similar rant

[AssassinatedBeauty]

@FingersCrossedHard but what is the judgement that people are making? Just that you're a weirdo, and so they don't like you?

[SleepingStandingUp]

They're grey leggings, if they had trucks on instead of ponies they'd be boy. Who made girls boys of the ponies and unicorns??

[SleepingStandingUp]

*AssassinatedBeauty tbf it wouldn't be the first time. I sing a lot to DS on the bus, and my hand does acrobatics on the hand loops if no one is holding on. I'm ok with weirdo haha

[Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar]

Firefighter Sam...

[Charolais]

Someone has to be the adult and say ‘no’ sometimes. The idea is to raise children who will not have to start off in life being mocked by their peers. Life is hard enough as it is.

When my son was starting kindergarten (U.S.) we were shopping for shoes and he found a pair of pink and lilac glittery Barbie shoes in the store and wanted to try them on. I guided him to shoes that were more appropriate for boys. I wasn’t about to have his first day be so horrendous and that he would never have lived it down.

He’s 29 now and when I told him about the shoes recently he was grateful I said ‘NO’.

[FingersCrossedHard]

@FingersCrossedHard but what is the judgement that people are making? Just that you're a weirdo, and so they don't like you?

Yeah, probably that, more or less.

[SleepingStandingUp]

Charolais he's two, he has no peers

[FingersCrossedHard]

Poor sod got a lecture from me ... he is the same kid who knows to say FireFighter Sam (not Fireman) after a similar rant

You ranted at your kid about saying 'fireman Sam'? Er...what? Why? Are you taking the piss or are you actually that tapped?

[AssassinatedBeauty]

@FingersCrossedHard, ah ok. That's fine, I have no problem with people thinking I'm a weirdo. It's helpful as a way of filtering out people I don't want to interact with. Thankfully where I live there are lots of weirdos, and lots of non-judgy people! Or at least people who can keep their judging to themselves and put that to one side.

"Someone has to be the adult and say ‘no’ sometimes. The idea is to raise children who will not have to start off in life being mocked by their peers. Life is hard enough as it is."

@Charolais, I agree that it's the job of adults to say "no" and to let children know what is appropriate and what is not. Choosing clothes is not one of those times, beyond practical considerations.