Why do children *have* to cross their legs when sitting down for register, stories, etc?

[Scrumplet]

DS finds it uncomfortable, and says other children do too. But he does it because it's a rule, and the children get told off if they don't sit cross-legged.

I understand his teachers wanting the class to sit down on a mat for a story, and to sit still, but does it matter how they actually sit FFS?! And is it worth raising with school?

always is right. If they don't sit crossed legged, the tendency is to sit in the W position which is bad for hips, knees, and ankles. Otherwise they sit on their lower legs and need to switch every so often because it's not comfortable. With legs stretched there is an issue with space and they kick each other. DS has low muscle tone and hypermobility and he struggled to find the crossed legs position comfortable but he got there in the end. It's not for long periods of time and unless a child has a disability, it's fine. I can't quite believe you are making a fuss over this OP, to be honest.