"Trousers are quicker to put on than shorts" - discuss

[TigerLightsitandscarpers]

DS, yr3, just started swimming lessons at school. He wears shorts to school every day, we don't have any school trousers.

He came home from swimming last week saying that one of the teachers had told him to wear trousers next week when they go swimming "as it's quicker to put trousers on than shorts".

Am I going bonkers here or is this just a completely daft thing for her to say? It's not really relevant but DS is very good at changing quickly and told me (and I believe him) that he was first out of the changing rooms anyway - he's always much quicker than me and I'm no slouch.

Now obviously I am not going to buy any trousers, but wondered if anyone else had come across this?

ermm sounds bonkers - but is he not a little cold now in this weather??

Prehaps the teacher is feeling cold

No, it makes no sense whatsoever but then nor does sending a child to school in cold weather with only half of their legs covered when they could cover the whole leg and be warmer.

why don't you send him in in trousers?

Oooh cold wet legs from swimming, shorts and then November weather!! =

Well, he doesn't like wearing trousers to school for a start. He's quite clear about that and I don't see any need for him to wear them (I did buy a pair for him to wear a couple of years ago when they went to a farm and were told to wear trousers for Elf and Safety . Worn a grand total of once then given away). If she meant that he might be cold (he wasn't, he's able to dry his legs himself, they get straight on a coach and then back to school) then fine, she can say so.

And of course it's easier to patch up knees with plaster than mend trousers .

DS3 doesn't like wearing clothes when we go out - but I make him anyway

How old is he? Unless pretty young would think the poor boy would be ridiculed for shorts in November tbh. Does he actually want to wear shorts to school in November? Maybe teacher in a roundabout way is suggesting trousers because they feel ds could be teased about the shorts and with the cold weather coming thinks trousers a more sensible choice.

He's unteasable on this issue, honestly. He does get some attention but loves it, even offers other kids his autograph . He's quite determined to see out the whole of primary school in shorts.

Blimey he must be freezing! Could he have misheard the teacher?

Our head wears them from April until he is too cold. Gave up at Halloween this year although he was trying for Bonfire Night Well if he's happy then I'd say let him decide for himself. Far more hardy than me though I have been putting on layers for weeks.

up until this year DD2 never wor trousers, just shorts, all year round. she is insane though.

maybe he misheard and teacher said warmer than shorts, not quicker. because obviously trousers are not qicker than shorts at all.

I would ignore the teacher, or ask her for a demonstration to prove that shorts take longer to put on than trousers. Do you have a uniform code? DS's school only allow them to wear shorts for summer term and the first half of autumn term.

To those who are sympathetic that the op's DS might feel the cold, why are you not all campaigning against schools who insist on girls wearing skirts all year round? I admit I'm a little bitter as I had to wear a skirt and knee socks for 12 years and nobody bloody cared.

how very odd. i would have thought that actually shorts are quicker to put on than trousers actually

and another actually just for good measure

Of course she didn't say that! Even if she did, it was a slip of the tongue, and she would have meant warmer. No biggie.

DS is yr1 and also refuses to wear trousers (sometimes I can get him into a pair of jogging bottoms on the bike in cold weather).

Do his shorts have any kind of fastening that he finds difficult? If so, the teacher may have said eg 'Can you get trousers like x's?', where x was wearing elasticated trousers & your DS assumed she meant long trousers rather than something with elastic.

ds (yr 6) has a challenge with a group of boys that they wear shorts all year......nobody has caved in so far.

lljkk - no, not a prob. He's a bit like deaddei's DS I think....was very full of himself in the snow last year with shorts and wellies

i think there is more than one issue here.

shorts v trews - teach is speaking tosh.

shorts in cold weather and kid refuses trews - hard shit - you're the mum.

Yes, me, not the teacher.

Since he's a fit, athletic child who has rarely a day off school (two since reception) sick, I think we'll carry on as we are.

i have a ds who wont wear trousers either.even at rugby when i am watching in a down jacket and boots, he is in shorts, comes off, and is roasting. his brother on the other hand feels even the slightest breeze and professes hes cold.

my DS is 3.5 and was insisting on wearing shorts every day (nursery attached to school but no uniform) he went in one day in october shorts and open sandals, no socks (DS very stubborn and insisted on these clothes) and teacher said after half term no more shorts, and socks/shoes essential its too cold, kids outside all the time. my son had agreed now to trousers.

but some of the girls still coming in wearing skirts and socks so clear double standards here. the school insists on skirts for girls (reception up) but they can wear tights and/or leggings underneath.

in this case and as your ds is older i think its up to him and not the teacher.

My Son's school is shorts all year round. They can wear trousers in the winter if they wish but shorts are the official dress code. Are we forgetting that some years ago children did not wear long trousers until they went into secondary school.

Our kids are tougher than we think. Shorts in cold weather is not going to make them ill.

Girls wear skirts all year round!!!