Boys and mud

[DrNortherner]

My ds is 6 and went back to school yesterday in his new uniform and sparkly new shoes.

3.15pm he emerges from school looking like a kid from a persil advert (before the persil!) shoes caked in mud, trousers, socks, jumper and shirt.

He says I know where all the secret muddy places are!' with glee.

So, do you let them be a boy and get muddy or should I be saying something as is it is me who is washing his bloody clothes?

Opinions please.

By sparkly new shoes I mean clean and shiny not sparkly as in sequins!

Boys need mud.
Start a campaign for a brown uniform and insure your washing machine.

Tell him he can only go in the muddy bits after lunch so he doesn't flake like a mud monster over the other children's sandwiches.

Am disappointed about the shoes.

Personally I love it when DS gets covered in mud, it makes me think he has been playing at being an adventurer or an explorer . I'm probably a tad jealous as my day won't have been anywhere near as much fun.

Let him get on with it but teach him to clean his own shoes (get mud off at least if you don't trust him with polish yet).

I sympathise, I have 3 mudmagnets ds's & a washing machine that's on 2 or 3 times a day!

Ds3's idea of heaven at the moment is a mix of mud & slugs ... really difficult to scrape off his uniform.

Does your school have a 2nd hand uniform sale? My approach to the muddy ds1 (and dd too, as she's one of those girls) is to buy a couple of extra sets of uniform at the 2nd hand so I don't have to wash every day. He has enough to get him through the week and then I don't have to stress about the mud and general filth he collects. I think it's worth pointing out that you have to wash the dirty clothes, boys need to learn it's not the laundry fairies who do this stuff, but it's not worth trying to get him to avoid mud.

And tbh, if he was a boy who liked sequinned shoes, you'd be unlikely to have a mud problem.

Dirty uniform still needs washing despite how many sets he has!

Just wondered if I should treat him eto be respectful of his school uniform and shoes. Which atm he clearly does not give a toss about!