Clothes Make the Kid

Now that public school is in session here, I realized something.

The public school kids here don't wear uniforms.

In Louisiana, every school--public or private--had uniforms, except for ours.

Not only did our kids not wear uniforms, they were encouraged to wear "play clothes" because learning is a "dirty business" and no kid should have to worry about their clothes.

And let me tell you, wear play clothes they did. My kids wore jeans and t-shirts daily.

Our new school has a new dress code. No jeans and all shirts must have collars. But since the policy is still new, you can tell that a lot of parents are stretching its limitations. But I'm a rule follower so I have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to find clothes that fit my kids' personalities but still fit the dress code.

I hated wearing a uniform to school as a kid. In sixth grade, when I was well into puberty and had the body of an eighteen year old, I had to wear a jumper. And my uniforms always had...gulp...buttons and so grossed me out.

What about you? Did you wear uniforms to school? And did it affect you at all, because let me tell you...

After all those years of Catholic school uniforms I broke out in college. Nothing but soccer shorts and sweatshirts for me. With Teva sandals. And socks.

You know, come to think of it, I still dress like that today. Damn plaid jumpers.