To ask aibu wanting ds to wear something other than tracksuits sometimes?

[sweaterweather2023]

Please help settle a light hearted discussion myself and my husband are having 😉

So I have an 11 year old boy who lives in tracksuit bottoms and sports wear. The company I work for are having a Christmas thing in a few weeks time for employees and family members including children.
I ordered a few things for ds today jeans, shirts ect but my husband thinks that ds is ok to go in a tracksuit as that's all he wears.
I think ds needs to learn there are occasions where he will need to dress up a bit more but dh thinks the world has gone a lot more casual now and what ds wears won't make a difference and that the only reason I want ds to wear the shirt and jeans is my own issues.
Thanks

Yanbu. There are lots of comfortable and smarter options for boys that age.

no one really expects 11 year old boys to wear party clothes

I would. As would everyone i know.

Thanks everyone I was away today and didn't see all the responses. Reading through them now.

My son would would have been fine to wear a smarter outfit. But if your son really doesn’t want to, then I don’t think I would fight this particular battle at such a young age. Not for a work party.

(can I hijack this thread and ask if it is too early in the season to wear fairisle jumpers? I never really know whether they are technically Christmas jumpers or whether I can start wearing them so early in autumn. I love them!).

Butwhataboutthebees

In what universe does that look smart?

I don't really understand why you would buy enough tracksuits for a child to live in them and not wear anything else. He's 11, he can have free choice over his clothing when he's an adult earning his own money.

Agree with you. Fine for relaxing at home/doing sport, not for a nice event, meal out etc.

I agree with this, but he is only 11. The party is supposed to be fun. If he is being forced to wear something he doesn't feel comfortable then then isn't going to enjoy it. I'm sure as he gets older he will grow out of it and not want to wear tracksuits to a party

What kind of 'Christmas thing' is it? Some family type Christmas things I've been to, joggers would be fine. If it's more formal then I'd suggest cargos as a compromise.

YANBU - dressing appropriately for a given occasion is a life skill.

On what planet is that even close to smart?
It's one step up from pj's and whether it costs £20 or £2000 it's just a tracksuit!
Minimal effort is fine day to day but it's so sad that a tracksuit is now considered in anyway smart.

I’m sure you posted this last week as well OP

I don’t see jeans as any more dressy than tracksuit bottoms. You can look stylish or scruffy in either. This sounds more like you wanting him to branch out a bit and feeling frustrated that he isn’t going along with it than him being out of place at the party.

What a miserable type of parent that is. 'Wait till you're 18 for some choice in your clothes!'

I agree with you. He doesn’t need to wear anything formal, but jeans of some sort or other trousers rather than joggers.

I have to say the tracksuit pictured up thread, whilst clean and decent looking, is not in my view “smart”.

DS(12) lives in skateboarding gear. But he went to his older sister’s graduation ceremony 4 weeks ago and he was happy to wear some (quite funky) checked trousers and a proper button through shirt, with this Nike trainers. We had a look on line together and found something he was happy to wear. And he wore a pale grey suit and shirt (no tie) to a wedding recently and a dark suit (again no tie) to my mother’s funeral.

I agree with @NumberTheory . Jeans are no "smarter".
As I said upthread I hardly see children/teens (especially 11 year olds) in jeans unless it's the emo/goth/punk look - which I expect most people here would think is "scruffy".
I actually think that photo @ButWhatAboutTheBees shared does look quite smart. There's a Dad at my daughter's school pick up who basically wears outfits like that every day - they are clearly good quality, he looks well turned out and (to my slight embarrassment) looks quite sexy 🤣
Fashions change and evolve. I thank the younger generation for making clothes that are comfortable and more practical for a lot of everyday life acceptable.
If you watch old 1960s films set in "the future" a typical outfit is often a variation on a loose tunic top and leggings (for both men and women). I can't wait for us to get to that stage of "the future".
Comfortable clothes rule !
(But @sweaterweather2023 if you insist - chinos and a shirt or polo is the way to go for your lad)

Why on Earth would they care? An 11 year-old isn’t going to give a shit about the high street.

Whoopee bloody doo.

Which bit are you struggling with?

I am a die hard slob, but recognise that there are times where I have to dress more smartly.

Valuable life lesson, IMO.

I would encourage him to wear something other than a tracksuit but it doesn’t need to be jeans and a shirt. Cargos with a nice tshirt/jumper and white trainers looks smart, cool and is comfortable too.

I think my 12 year old would refuse to come to a work doo anyway, never mind trying to get him out of his uniform of black tracksuit 🤣

I'm not worried about it, both his brothers grew out of the tracksuit stage before they needed to get jobs

A pair of khaki's, and let him choose out a silly Christmas sweater?

Does your son want to go to a formal party? Or is he an accessory for you?
Have you asked him what he considers smart clothes?
I have an 18 year old who mostly lives in trackie bottoms other than his work uniform. But if he has to be smart he goes all out in a suit (&looks gorgeous in my obviously biased opinion). He hates jeans & always has done.

What's most important to you - that your son is comfortable & enjoys himself? Or that he fits an image you want for him even if he's miserable?

Personally I like parties to be fun.

My 12 year old lives in tracksuits/sportswear I used to get him to wear jeans etc for occasions but I don’t bother anymore. There’s only so many years you can get away with wearing a tracksuit to every event so I’m letting him make the most of it

Have we teleported back to the 40’s - this post is hilarious. Let your kids wear what they want. To be honest you are at a Christmas party you aren’t gonna give a shit what they are doing - you have already palmed them off to an older relative who can only handle 2 small sherries.

Let them live or they will have you in a Jimmy Saville shell-suit in your retirement home being judged by the staff.

Remember they look after you at the end.