Year 7+ - does your child have a coat for school?

[Madmog]

Does anyone else's child have a winter coat/waterproof for school? Most of the local kids don't seem to have a coat here.

My daughter seems happy enough to have one, and I'm happy to get her one that fits over her blazer, especially after her friend arrived at our house having walked 20 mins in heavy rain with her blazer drenched and blouse wet. Other than the dinnerhall/corridors they don't have anywhere to go during bad weather at lunchtimes so are hanging around outside at lunchtime.

There is a huge difference between an 11 year old child and a 6'3" Year 13 boy!

Yes I see the point about picking your battles, but it isn't really about the coat, it's about your child knowing you are in charge. Today it's about a coat, tomorrow it's about staying out late/ drinking or whatever. I'm just old fashioned though!

My yr8 and yr7 dds tend to wear cagoules rather than bigger coats, where we live the winters are mild but rainy and they cycle so cagoules are fairly normal, and they stash them in their bags at school.

I don't/wouldn't make them though, I'd expect them to work out whether they get cold or wet and how to deal with it. Yesterday they didn't take coats, they got soaked, today they took them.

But an 11 year old will also be making his/her own way to school, and you cannot walk alongside them insisting they wrap up!

And bollocks is it a transition from deciding for yourself whether you want to wear a coat to staying out drinking!

There's no need to be rude, horses for courses and all that.

Well, I think my children do know I'm in charge and if I did order them to wear a coat, they probably would - but I don't think it's worth it.

Sorry for the 'bollocks' but I resent the idea that I have to fight a battle I don't think very important in order for you to win the same battle more easily with your own child because you do think it important - and I also resent the idea that allowing my children to decide when they are cold and when not is tantamount to letting them be in charge instead of me!

They are in charge of how warm they want to be.

I don't have the coat battle, my dd wears her coat! But she's a v easy child. Dd3 on the other hand is not and I envisage many battles along the way with her!