To ask if boys can wear coloured gingham school shorts?

[Makingitupaswegoalong]

DS starting school in September. I’ve never liked the grey boys’ school shorts. I think they’re horrible.

Could a boy wear the shorts version of the summer dresses in the warmer months? The ones like this:
https://direct.asda.com/george/school/shorts/light-blue-girls-gingham-longer-length-school-shorts/G008057152,default,pd.html?redirectFromInt=1&cmpid=ppc--geor-------_-dskwid-_dm&utm_campaign=pla:Fashion-School-_Performance_Max&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17501196607&gbraid=0AAAAADt8Wcm1oMWVYoBrMZRAaJmY4OxHM&gclid=Cj0KCQjwgIXCBhDBARIsAELC9ZgYG9pdeZibdgD76_xniRBLDqnyyvZArL9DdLA7VsYiWE5zGC1CWE0aAkIFEALw_wcB

The little boys round here wear a lot of brightly coloured patterned leggings.

Why couldn’t they were these shorts? Are they obviously girly? Would people bully him or think we were weird? I just think they’re nicer.

Walk past the school and see what the boys are wearing. In 7 years at primary school, my boys had no problems with the grey shorts.

Yes they look a bit like boxer shorts

My friend’s DD wears these. She hates the dresses and her mum asked her if she’d prefer to wear grey shorts. She said no because they are the boys’ uniform and then luckily her mum found these. I wouldn’t send a boy to school in these shorts as they are definitely aimed at girls and kids do notice.

In fact my current First school, some of the girls wear grey shorts because they like playing football, handball and general more physical games, so the parents dress them in the colour that's not going to stain so easily!

I wouldn’t recommend shorts for a 4/5 year old at all. They are too clumsy. Mine only wears his on ridiculously hot days.

You know perfectly well that other boys don’t wear those shorts- you’ll have seen enough kids walking around. You’d have to be blind not to have Don’t use your 5 year old to present a Political/gender argument. He will want to be the same as the other boys.

You could have a go at making some? There are lots of good YouTube videos out there.

I honestly don’t know why you’re thinking about this yet? Revisit in a year 🤷‍♀️

Tell the school to either align their policy I reality or enforce their policy. Other rude they are wasting parents’ money.

I suppose older children could pick on the younger ones at playtime.

Older kids in higher years will take the piss on the playground. Don't dress your Son in girl's clothes for school.

I think they look like swim shorts.

I’m not trying to make a gender political argument! We’re not particularly progressive as a family. Of course I know other boys don’t wear checked shorts, but maybe it could start?

I would personally say to avoid and at the very least to ask him what he thinks of them. Even at 4 he will care how he is viewed by others. It's a struggle to get my 5 year old daughter to wear school trousers, in her eyes they look like boys trousers.

I was thinking more the long bloomers under a long skirt/dress, but yes they do resemble boxers or jammies even too.

So you want to use your kid as a guinea pig?

Really don't do that......

No I wouldn't send my son in those unless he desperately wanted them.

If you want them to stand out and be the only one then yes

If you asked 100 people if those are for boys or girls I’m willing to be at least 90 would say they’re for girls. If you want to get them go ahead, but don’t come back complaining when a) you have to buy grey ones and b) your DS is being picked on for wearing girls clothes.

I don’t think they’re hugely different from something like this, which is what he’s wearing today, which is why the thought occurred.

In our primary school even the girls aren't allowed these shorts or the skirt version. They are only allowed the dress and that has to be zip up only and not the dress/shorts combination.

I think the grey shorts look smart and are practical. I think it’s a bit much to say little boys have colourless lives, it’s just a pair of shorts. The actual purpose of a uniform is to be uniform. School is only 30 hours a week.

You really are making it up as you go along aren’t you?

Actually, gingham was more like denim and calico. It was practical, tough and could be washed at high temperatures. There was a meaning behind the traditional pattern (these things don't happen by accident, like tartan. We've just kept up the pattern. Girls don't have to wear dresses, but some want to. Some women want to wear bright/pastel etc clothing. I live in dresses over summer. I like pink, in the cultures I mix in, pink is a unisex colour. Women and girls now have more choice over clothing.

Agreed. My son chooses to wear a cardigan(he has sensory issues and prefers them) but initially he did have a jumper. It's completely his choice and fortunately had no issues. And my kids school only allows the gingham dresses from spring until the end of summer.