It seems like at least once a week, a story crops up in the news about a school trying to enforce a dress code that's a little out-of-control. Calling kindergartners' skirts out for being too short (when they're wearing tights!). Banning long hair on little boys.
They make me as crazy as any mom. But if I had to be honest, I feel for school administrators. Because for all of us parents just trying to apply common sense to how we dress our kids, there are the parents who go off the rails.
Take, for example, the mom who lets her 6-year-old wear high heels to school. I shouldn't have to tell you that's inappropriate, but apparently it has to be said.
Yes, there are dress codes that treat our kids like they're going to prison instead of school. There are dress codes that sexualize little kids and seem to slut shame girls.
But there is also a reason schools have dress codes. It's called idiot parents.
If you're not one of them, you probably wouldn't send your kid to school in just about anything on this list.
What would you add?
Images via © iStock.com/Kali Nine LLC; Jeanne Sager
Out-of-Season Outfits
Sure, there are some kids who run a little hot, and they want to wear a t-shirt in the winter. But ask any teacher what they hate most, and it's not the sexy clothing on teenage girls that bugs them most. They'll probably tell you there's nothing more heartbreaking than seeing a little kid whose parents are still sending him to school in shorts and no coat in 30-degree weather.
Tube Tops
This is not about sexuality folks. It's about practicality. All it takes for a prankster to make a girl's life a living hell is to give a tube top one quick yank. Straps save sanity.
High Heels
It's bad enough trying to walk in these when you're an adult … and they're bad enough on adult feet. But kids shouldn't be wearing this kind of dangerous footwear to begin with, so why would you have them hobbling around school in a pair?
Flip Flops
I'll admit I let my daughter wear these "shoes" — even though they're not particularly good for your feet! But there are more than a few reasons not to let them wear a pair of flip flops to school — from the heightened danger from falling objects (just imagine a pair of scissors in a kindergarten classroom … ouch) to the difficulty of walking (nothing screams fall hazard like a 6-year-old making her way down the stairs to the cafeteria in a pair of flip flops).
Anything With a Hole
Sure, some well-placed holes are fashionable, but for the most part, holes just make your kid look unkempt … and there's a major risk of the holes being made BIGGER by pranksters on the playground.
Pajamas
I don't care HOW late you're running. Your kids are old enough to know that pajamas are bed clothes, not clothes to wear in public.
Dirty Clothes
A little stain is one thing, especially if it's just from a toothpaste mess-up that you didn't catch until they were JUST getting on the bus. But nothing makes bullies jump on kids faster than dirty clothes. Show a little respect for your kids; wash their darn clothes.
