Do you like your kids to look nice when you go out?

[maltesers]

I know i am a bit fussy but i do like my kids to look well dressed. . .Anyone else the same? I havnt got much money and a single parent.
However, if we are going somewhere in particular they have to put on what i have got out. . . within reason. My youngest is 9 ys and he isnt fussy what i make him put on. . thank god. My older two are grown up now and away from home; so its up to them entirely and always from about aged 14 yrs. I hate my child to wear nylon football clothing. . unless he was actually playing footy. Socks have to match rest of clothes. .

Quincy is my fav, but I've been told that it's closing down, tis a shame.

I didn't mention designer anything. IME well ironed and scrubbed children with very tidy hair or intricate up dos in an everyday setting usually denotes a wc child

Really Franca yikes!

Yes, all those brands are lovely, MarshaBrady . And here in Paris we have BonTon which I am totally enamoured of!

We all generally look like we've been pulled through a hedge backwards, on ocassion hair will be brushed, matching socks )or at least not clashing) and they are always clean with teeth, finger nails etc.
But I envy find it madness that some people will match up their 2/3 children's clothes and the kids stay clean or a spare tshirt is whipped out after lunch.

My kids are probably more of the permanently scruffy-but-clean variety - lots of Gap and Fat Face, M&S etc.

We 're not big on 'dressing up' to go out anyway (I do find that rather a WC thing...)but I try to make sure they always have one smart 'shirt' and a pair of chino-style trousers in their wardrobes for the occasional meal with GPs (who ARE into the 'Sunday Best' type thing)

Also hate nylon football shirts though - in any context !

I try and make sure my kids look well presented when we go out... not that it lasts long as they generally find some muck to play in fairly quickly

Both my older two are very concious of what they wear and really enjoy picking out their clothes and feel good when they're wearing clothes they like and know they look good in. Surprisingly my ds1 especially so, far more than his sister... he gets cross at me if i'm behind on the washing and he hasn't got enough choices in his drawer and spends ages in the morning picking an outfit, he's only 3!

I don't buy any clothes that both they and i don't love and if people give us clothes i only keep what suits the kids and save the rest for clothing drives at the school so the school makes some cash from them instead.

I often get comments on how well my kids look and it's lovely and makes them proud too... and i don't spend a fortune, in fact i probably spend less than most people i know but i spend wisely and buy clothes to last and that can be mixed and matched quite easily.

Depends what it is.

Wedding - yes - we talk about what they are going to wear and I veto anything too outlandish.

Church/restaurant/party - they get to choose and I veto anything dirty, stained, indecent or excecssively weird.

Anything else they get to choose. And on the whole, their tastes are "individual" but reasonably presentable.

School/Brownie uniforms have to be clean with (more or less) matching socks ;-)

Sigh, my DD 'developed an opinion' on clothes at about 2. She's now 3 and we can have almighty battles if I don't allow her her eclectic selection of mostly boys clothes. I have to bribe her into a dress, but the occasions are rare, I'd rather she develops a fine sense of self, and appreciate that I do respect her choices.

Kids at nursery are often wearing a strange selection of garb - one little boy likes dresses, another girl wears only strappy sundresses (even in winter over a polo neck!) and another is mostly disney dressup. Each to their own.

hmm] what a totally wierd question.

I like my children to be clean, tidy and well behaved. I would not waste money on designer clothes for young children who will outgrow them rapidly. Money other people waste in that way we set aside for their education. As for painting toenails, that would encourage them to value themself for looks not who they are.

Now they are teenagers our ideas of nice are different, they can wear what they like. I try to exert some influence on important occasions by refusing to pay for anything too inappropriate.

Looks are part of who you are. Best to teach your DC how to make the best of themselves early in life - there's a lot to learn in life, and it's a pity to wait too long to get started.

I have just taken ds (10) to Topman where he chose 2 lovely tshirts and a fleece- not navy, or grey, but coral and turquoise.
I think he has a good sense of style, as has dd (13) who is 5 feet 8, size 8 and 33 inch inside leg- she looks good in a bin liner!
She is developing her own style- suits skinny jeans/long cardis- has never been a dress girl even when little.
Luckily we never visit gps so don't have that sort of pressure- they look cool and fun and practical.
Have never bought "names" but as dd grows, she is now in ladies so more expensive.
As long as they shower every day and look presentable, I'm happy.

I absolutely love dressing dd. Don't like logos and obvious designer clothes but have just discovered a great little shop that sells French clothes. Don't know what it is about the French but they just have it so spot on. It's always something really simple like the neckline or buttons.
I love clothes and have just transferred my attention to dd. I don't think clothes have to be designer/expensive to be nice. dd has some lovely stuff that has come from supermarkets too.

I dont buy designer labels. Infact i get some of his stuff from Primark . . u just have to be choosy what you get. . got very nice check shorts in blue and red for him and always get underwear from there.. . its great he still doesnt care what i make him wear and he is 9yrs old !!!!!!
DD of 19 has brilliant dress sense and looks fab. . . she cries Harlot though when she is dressed up to go out Clubbing. . Older son who is in New Zealand just dresses like a Uni Student still. . tatty old jeans, trainers, grey hoody.

CLARY - right here when you need me, sister!

Luckily DD is still too young to have an opinion on what she wears, so her outfits are always co-ordinated. I love buying her clothes and dressing her in the morning. She does have a lot of clothes to choose from, which helps. None of them are v expensive - mostly Zara and baby Gap with a bit of H&M. Am bracing myself for when she insists on dressing herself. Please don't let it be all pink....

Mine start out clean. All downhill from 9am but I'm a bit more slacker styley than tidy myself anyway.

i've given up! as long as they are washed and teeth brushed they choose themselves now. ds1 is almost 13 and lives in casual clothes, sweatshirts, trackies, jeans if he's dressing up. ds2 is 8 and one of those who looks scruffy no matter what he is wearing. he'd still wear shorts, t-shirt and crocs/sandals in the snow if i'd let him.
dd1 is 4 and now has an opinion on what she wears so much so that she washes and dresses before i even go into wake her up! usually something not matching and jeans/trousers if even slightly cold. but then will wear pretty dresses out of the blue because she wanted to 'look like a princess' (her words not mine). dd2 is still too young to care at 9 months so its sleepsuits and cardi in cold weather and some kind of all in one shirt sleeve/leg in warm weather. if i know we are going out i will put dd2 in a dress or outift brought for her by a relative or friend, but otherwise i don;t see the point in creating more washing and ironing when we are full flow weaning and self feeding.

I can't bear to see children in "labels"

dd is 4 and really likes to choose her own clothes, sometimes she gets it right other times not so right! Generally so long as she is clean and dressed appropriately for the weather I don't mind too much.

Well I vaguely remember when I coudl get my DC out of the door all sparkling clean in their best clothes (that I had chosen) with neatly brushed hair and shiny shoes. That was a long time ago though. Now my eldest son's idea of smart is a pair of ripped baggy jeans hanging round his arse and a Ramones t-shirt - plus the recent addition of a top hat DD does care about what she wears but her taste and mine diverged aboyut a year ago. DS#2 likes scooby doo and I can't get him to wear anything without that bloody dog on it.

So whilst I still fight the good fight re teeth and hair (DS1's is longer than I might choose though) I haev given up trying to make them 'well-dressed'. They are individuals not mannequins. Sadly.

Haven't been able to get my DC to wear 'nice' clothes from the time they were toddlers. So long as the clothes are appropriate to the weather I don't care. I reckon if you want your DC to dress themselves, you can't nag them because your taste and their taste are not exactly the same.

If ever I need them to look vaguely respectable, and they've chosen their very worst clothes, I 'accidentally' tip a cup of juice over them and grab them a change of clothes - my choice.

Obviously I do lay down the law for weddings & christenings.

I only draw the line at obviously dirty/smelly/weather unsuitable kit (and PJs or stained stuff, usually). I do think harder about it if they are visiting a family elder.

I'm not convinced that "looking good" is an important skill to learn in life .

Teeth, hair and faces are neglected in this house but both are pretty good at picking out their own clothes. I give helpful advise if really necessary .

"I'm not convinced that "looking good" is an important skill to learn in life."

How very odd. Looking good is a basic social skill, like manners. The more attractive you are to others, the easier life will be and the further you will go.