AIBU school uniform

[Ijustdontknowwhattodo1018]

Am I being unreasonable to refuse to buy new shorts?

The school uniform states plain Black shorts for PE but the teachers have been commenting on my child’s shorts and telling them they are not appropriate.
They are proper ‘sports’ shorts and not that it matters but they are not cheap, they’re good quality, good fit, they don’t fall down etc.
I just don’t see what the problem is and what infuriates me is that they keep telling a 4 year old rather than telling me why there is a problem…after all, it is me who is buying the uniform and not my child.

Also, are we not supposed to be building children up, not making them feel self conscious?

Me too. They are for wearing under something else, pretty much underwear in a different fabric.

Cant see anything wrong with them. Lots of kids at my kids school wear cycling shorts, and not just on pe days.

Exactly, @LolaSmiles. Nobody should have to be told what PE/gym shorts are, they’re a loose style, not very tight hot pants. It’s common sense. Children, especially 4 year olds, don’t need to be in constricting, super tight, form fitting, very short hot pants. I mean, Why? Buy the very easily found PE shorts for the aptly named PE class. Educating the uneducated educated is hard work 😂

They aren’t plain black, and they are shaped round the crotch which the op’s aren’t. And they look a lot thinner.

If they were plain black then they'd be plain black shorts to people without common sense. What the OP posted is modesty shorts, essentially underwear. I agree with the poster who said this is why we end up with single supplier logo uniform.

@EmeraldFox im not saying I would buy them, my kid has baggy jersey type ones, just above knee length.

Im just saying that a lot of people buy ones like the op’s and I’ve never known a school to have an issue (unless branded/single supplier/certain length is specified). If the list says plain black shirts people will buy these.

Yes

not
black
not
’proper PE shorts’

we have lots of shorts and lots of PE never ever had a black pair of shorts like the OP poster

Yeah that’s what I mean- schools that want a certain style usually specify that. If they don’t then they will get kids in a variety of styles. They could tell op to buy longer/looser whatever shorts, fair enough… but if they don’t tell people then people will buy what they think are suitable.

It would save a lot of hassle if they just put ‘plain black pe shorts- mid thigh loose fitting’ if that is what they want.

MysteryBelle
It's unfortunately the start of why secondary schools end up with ridiculous uniform policies.

Whereas once you could say 'black school trousers' and on the whole you'd get 95% of students wearing black school trousers in different cuts for their shape, maybe having a nod to whatever is in fashion but fundamentally school trousers, not "black school trousers" needs to be accompanied with "no jeans, not leggings, not jeggings, not treggings, not yoga pants, not excessively skinny or wide leg" etc. because some parents apparently confuse school trousers with a thin pair of leggings.

It means the rest of us are stuck having to find appropriate trousers for our DC from a very, very narrow range of options. 😒

At my kids primary school as long as the shorts are navy and too is white they are fine with whatever the style of shorts. All this madness over clothes in schools!

If you had a girl I am willing to bet a shed load of money they wouldn't comment.
So they know they are being sexist. And have no legs to stand on.

Girls quite often wear short leggings/bike short style for PE and nobody bats an eyelid.

Younger boys are often comfortable in leggings or bike short style because they don't get caught up/are easy to move in (my DS wore leggings a lot in his preschool years, though it was hard to get non-pink non-frilly) and the boy-who-thinks-he's-a-girl at my DD school now wears leggings or bike shorts for PE instead of the joggers or baggy shorts that a lot of the boys and girls wear.

For all your conspiracy efforts you have put in this wouldn't it be easier to use the correct shorts and stop turning into it some drama that probably affects your child more than coming up with reasons not to follow the rules then blame everyone else?

YABU. Please don’t be that parent. Stop being a drama larma.

The rules are plain black shorts, which those are.

They may not be what you or I consider to be suitable school pe shorts (although lots of parents and schools think they are fine); but they aren’t breaking any rules.

Everyone knows what pe shorts are, they are not pe shorts, stop being an arse.

and even if you didn’t know why would you put a 4 year old in what looks like a middle aged woman’s shape wear ffs.

Yes you’re right, the few obtuse make it harder for the rest of us.

leggings, jeggings, treggings 😄

Well they obviously aren't

Why haven't you asked the school what the actual problem is?

Just joining the chorus of “those aren’t PE shorts”.

black school trousers" needs to be accompanied with "no jeans, not leggings, not jeggings, not treggings, not yoga pants, not excessively skinny or wide leg" etc. because some parents apparently confuse school trousers with a thin pair of leggings.

^^
agree with that - and it really made me laugh.

I also wonder how this has managed to drag on for the whole school year until July though!

they aren’t breaking any rules.

But they are the reason the rules will go from "Black PE shorts" to "Black PE shorts, must be loose fitting, drawstring waist, no shorter than mid thigh, no lycra, no Spandex, no hot pants etc etc"

The minority of people who insist on being obtuse about simple uniform rules are the reason those rules have gone from "Blazer, white shirt, blue jumper, black trousers, black shoes" to a 20 page PDF listing the 2 exact items that will be allowed for each category along with a whole list of things that are explicitly not accepty

Hahaha. Brilliant.

I’ve seen the picture and they look very tight, like hot pants?? I’d think getting a looser pair would solve it.

Hilariously ridiculous post.

You're clearly one of those parents.

You obviously know what the issue is as you've said stating it here would be giving it away?!

If you don't know, you should ask? Not post here with no information hoping people will just shepherd round you in joint fury?

From the picture they don't look black and they look too short and tight. I reckon you already know this just want to argue.

MN blows my mind sometimes. OP has posted what is very clearly an overexposed photo of black shorts and yet people claim to not be able to tell that they are black in order to make out that she is in the wrong.

Probably 90% of the girls wear those shorts at our primary school, I see nothing wrong. Those shorts are longer than the ones my dd wears with her leotard

I'm just making the point really that in primary schools up and down the country, kids (esp in infants) do often wear cycling shorts. I teach and am forever going to PE events with several other schools. So often on MN, parents claim whatever happens at their child's school is exactly what happens everywhere else. I don't agree that black shorts only means stripey, loose shorts.

Sizing down is obviously possible but on skinny legged children loose shorts can look ridiculous. My 5 year old is already in age 3 cycling shorts - I'm not sure how much smaller I can go, or if you can even get the loose style in age 3. She's not even that slim. I didn't want to say too much about skinny children lest I get accused of an MN stealth boast...