DS always wants to wear football kit/socks mainly

[Jamie25]

8 year old DS always wants to wear his football kit/s anywhere we go. After school he changes and we offer him his regular clothes, like a T shirt and jeans, but he always insists on wearing his football kit. When we push for regular clothes he insists on wearing his football socks beneath his clothing because they ‘fit his feet good’ I find this unusual. Does anybody have a similar problem? Genuinely it’s weird to me but I might be naive? I know this sounds like your regular ‘weirdo’ post, but this is genuinely a problem we’re facing. It’s not a big issue sure, but we wish he would just wear regular clothing. He’s on the pathway with CAHMS for a diagnosis but it would be nice to find somebody to relate to.

This x1000

Forget about it and let the lad wear football socks. Even if it is 'an obsession' - very dramatic terminology for an 8 year old who likes wearing a certain type of socks.

If he was wanting to dress as Elvis or a T-rex every day - I could see that might present a problem...

My boys wore nothing but football strips , training gear etc from around 5-14. No ironing required and dry in no time. Embrace it 😁

"I know this sounds like your regular ‘weirdo’ post"

Yes, it does.

My MIL tells me that DH was so obsessed as a child that he would even go to bed wearing his football BOOTS.
must be true as he has size 6.5 feet with bunions now !

I really don’t understand what your problem is with it? Completely normal IME. He can wear what he likes, what he’s wearing has no reflection on you.

Both my sons (8 and 11) live in their footy kits including socks.
The only time they aren't wearing them is when they're in school uniform, in a onesie at night or in swim shorts on holiday. I have to steal them in the dead of night to wash the bloody things. At least they dry quickly!

There are very few places where an 8year old can't wear a football kit (assuming there isn't a battle about school uniform).

Just let him wear the kit.

FWIW DS2 has never chosen to wear a pair of jeans. We have had a deal for the past 8-ish years. I don't buy him trousers (except for school ones), and on the very few occasions where trousers are required, he will wear an old pair of his brothers. He has worn trousers perhaps half a dozen days a year over that period.saved myself a fortune in clothes!

I'm sure you can get school coloured football socks too.....

I dont see the issue. My asd child when he was a child lived in some weird outfit choices. Apparently they felt comfortable. So rather than fight this, just get him some more comfortable socks.
There will be other things that a battle has to be had over, but this isnt one of those things.

My daughter (13) is the same. Football kit or running leggings all the time. I do consider them "regular clothes". She will wear a jumpsuit for weddings. Literally never considered it a problem?

Assuming this is a serious post.

I would say it’s a sensory thing, football socks are tight and long almost like compression socks. If he’s ASD, they are often finding ways to meet their needs from sensory perspective.

Buy more football socks but plain black, can wear as normal socks then. Pick your battles is my advice! If he'll wear normal clothes but football socks fine

DS and his group of friends (all 7 and 8) are exactly the same. At the fireworks on Sunday was the first time I'd seen DS is joggers since January.
It's not a battle I'm too bothered about. I've told him that he can wear whatever he likes most of the time, but if I tell him he has to dress nicely because we're going somewhere, he's not allowed to complain. Has worked so far!

If you don't like it you just say no. You are the parent, he's a child.

I don't like kids dressed constantly in football kits, so mine isn't allowed to wear it constantly. He wears it when appropriate and that's not all the time.

Does he like the feeling of the socks because they are comforting, like a thunder shirt for a dog?

Since I started peri menopause I can't stand anything too tight especially at my neck. Ive become really particular about what I wear, leggings , over size tops and crocs😂. It actually makes me fidgety if my clothes don't feel 'right'.

I would just let him wear them without querying it.

Seems pretty harmless OP, i'd not make a battle over this

This.

This is definitely not the huge issue you are making it out to be! They are just socks, he likes them so buy more of them so he always has a clean pair. No problem in wearing them as bed socks either. All of my children have worn them at times that have made me think ‘what on earth…?’ but, in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter! My DS16 who are twins love wearing football kits and leisure wear so much that they have NEVER worn a pair of jeans and frequently wear football grip socks as ordinary socks.

Oh and try to buy clothes with him, not for him, if he has sensory issues around them then he needs to help choose which means less clothes he won’t wear.

Yup. Same here. I don't buy nice clothes anymore. Maybe one pair of jeans and one nice jumper. We negotiate over wearing it for dinners out etc.

I've got friends with older boys though and they do grow out of it (and I'm told become fixated with fashion and smell like a walking Lynx Africa bottle)

Mine's EXACTLY the same. Also ND. It's a "thing". 😜 I've weaned him off polyester football socks for bed/at home, and instead got him some black cotton knee high socks and he wears those. He would wear his studded boots everywhere if he could!

Mine both smell like a walking Lynx Africa bottle but still wearing football shirts or sportswear, one stopped wearing shorts two years ago while the other switched to plain shorts as opposed to full kit with socks but the shirts live on!

Prom was a right pain as we struggled to find something smart that they were comfortable in - we managed it eventually but neither outfit will ever be worn again so will be sold.

Totally normal. At that age my son only wore footie kits as well! He plays in an adult team now so the kit gets taken at the end of the game!!!

It's fine, they grow out of it :)

When my son was about 4 or 5 and we used to take him to games, he genuinely thought he might be substituted on!

I think this is a you problem to be honest. If he’s happy then let him be, he’s not doing anyone any harm.

Sounds totally normal for an 8yo (annoying for mums yes)

i personally hate it but have got used to it

i think they mostly grow out of it when they get to high school

but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your son!

I imagine he finds them comfortable and, more importantly, comforting.
If you're worried about him wearing dirty clothes, you could make sure there's always a clean pair of footy socks to replace the dirty ones.

I have two friends with similar age boys and in the last 3 years or so I can’t remember seeing them in anything other than football kit or football training kit. When DD was in Y5 and Y6 she said the boys were still wearing football kit to any school non uniform event, including world book day 🤷🏼‍♀️