Anonymous wrote:This is a problem you have contributed to creating, OP, and now it’s going to be a lot more unpleasant to resolve than if you’d been insisting on appropriate dress all along.

Part of life is being uncomfortable. We wear pants, shoes, ties, nylons, etc because the occasion calls for it, not because they feel good. If you let him wear athletic clothes every waking moment, he will have a more difficult time sucking it up for events that require a higher degree of formality (like his uncle’s wedding). Start small - tell him Tuesdays (or whenever) are days he must dress appropriately for shool. Or start with family dinners at restaurants. But start somewhere and teach him to cope with real clothes before it’s too late and do it at times when there isn’t so much (like a wedding) at stake.

Disclaimer: my kids don’t wear athletic clothes to school. I wouldn’t allow it and never have. They all wear athletic clothes for actual athletics and to relax in at home. But when they go to school or out to dinner, etc, they wear what we call “real clothes.” It works because we started when they were young and never wavered; it was a fight ever so briefly in the upper elementary/lower ms grades for those who went to a school without a dress code, but it passed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We obviously don’t work in the same field.

In what field is it still expected for women to wear nylons?

Anonymous wrote:We have all had power struggles with our kids about the non-athletic clothes during formal occasions. That is just one of those battles worth fighting. It is not appropriate. Period.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We obviously don’t work in the same field.

In what field is it still expected for women to wear nylons?

Anonymous wrote:

We obviously don’t work in the same field.

Anonymous wrote:Our boys dress casually every day, usually athletic shorts or joggers. However, they know when we say khakis, dress pants, collared shirt, jacket and tie, etc. that there is no discussion because there is a reason. OP you need to let him know under no certain terms there are certain events where he will dress up. Let him help pick the stuff out, but he is wearing it. And yes, if he did not go to the wedding, major consequences. That should not have even been offered as an option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a problem you have contributed to creating, OP, and now it’s going to be a lot more unpleasant to resolve than if you’d been insisting on appropriate dress all along.

Part of life is being uncomfortable. We wear pants, shoes, ties, nylons, etc because the occasion calls for it, not because they feel good. If you let him wear athletic clothes every waking moment, he will have a more difficult time sucking it up for events that require a higher degree of formality (like his uncle’s wedding). Start small - tell him Tuesdays (or whenever) are days he must dress appropriately for shool. Or start with family dinners at restaurants. But start somewhere and teach him to cope with real clothes before it’s too late and do it at times when there isn’t so much (like a wedding) at stake.

Disclaimer: my kids don’t wear athletic clothes to school. I wouldn’t allow it and never have. They all wear athletic clothes for actual athletics and to relax in at home. But when they go to school or out to dinner, etc, they wear what we call “real clothes.” It works because we started when they were young and never wavered; it was a fight ever so briefly in the upper elementary/lower ms grades for those who went to a school without a dress code, but it passed.

Alternative: find some pants that meet both the parent's requirement (dress pants) and the kid's requirement (drawstring). Win-win.

(I haven't worn nylons in 18 years. One of the great advances of modern society is that it's no longer expected for women to wear nylons.)

Anonymous wrote:This is a problem you have contributed to creating, OP, and now it’s going to be a lot more unpleasant to resolve than if you’d been insisting on appropriate dress all along.

Part of life is being uncomfortable. We wear pants, shoes, ties, nylons, etc because the occasion calls for it, not because they feel good. If you let him wear athletic clothes every waking moment, he will have a more difficult time sucking it up for events that require a higher degree of formality (like his uncle’s wedding). Start small - tell him Tuesdays (or whenever) are days he must dress appropriately for shool. Or start with family dinners at restaurants. But start somewhere and teach him to cope with real clothes before it’s too late and do it at times when there isn’t so much (like a wedding) at stake.

Disclaimer: my kids don’t wear athletic clothes to school. I wouldn’t allow it and never have. They all wear athletic clothes for actual athletics and to relax in at home. But when they go to school or out to dinner, etc, they wear what we call “real clothes.” It works because we started when they were young and never wavered; it was a fight ever so briefly in the upper elementary/lower ms grades for those who went to a school without a dress code, but it passed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a parent of a child with "legitimate" special needs, here are my tips:
-Under armor makes golf pants that feel more like sweat pants
- does he have a scout uniform he likes- my son will wear his Cub Scout uniform to special events and is the self-appointed honor guard. This probably works better for younger kids, but if there are military members attending the event it is cute

And for those rude PPs I hope you have no spandex or flexibility in any of your work clothes that you are so harsh.

Um -- I work in a business formal, suit every day environment and no I don't have an spandex or elastic in my work clothing!?

Really? Do you wear women's clothes or men's clothes? A lot of women's business clothes have spandex these days.

Yeah, for some reason that “I was poured into this stretchy suit” look is really popular in some quarters. However, it’s quite possible to find women’s suits and other professional attire without spandex.