I need help for my little guy!?

Question

Ok, so I like to think that I have a pretty good sense of style, as does my husband. I love my 6 year old to look handsome all the time, so I do his hair like the guys I know and dress him very cute. (I hope.. lol) The kid looks like a walking Gap ad all the time. My problem is, the kids at his bus stop all seem to wear oversized sloppy clothing and sweatpants and whatnot. Are the styles really that different for children, or do you think the kids that I'm seeing are just icky?

I'd like to point out to one of the 'answerers' that my jewelery is 'accessory' enough, and I am not in any way using my child like a handbag. He likes to look handsome, as he tells me all the time.. And yes, he does look like a child, so let me rephrase.. he looks like a GAPkids ad. And I love Childrens Place too! They dont have a very large selection there though, so I tend to go all over the place.

Answer 1

If you know he's dressed appropriately for a child and wearing stuff that's appropriate for school then just disregard the fact that other people let their young kids copy teenagers and don't teach them to dress well.

There is the one drawback that he may always feel a little different from them, or they they may even say something to him about his clothes; but I don't know whether that drawback is worth changing what you buy him. I made sure my two sons had nice clothes in a time when over-washed, striped, t-shirts and jeans were the only thing little boys wore; and they were a little different from many of the other kids (although they weren't alone either). Still, I couldn't turn my sons into looking like the kids who had mothers who didn't make sure they looked decent; because that just wasn't "me".

I always believed that all children need to learn that school is a place where a certain level of clothing should be worn, and I always wanted my sons to know that just because they were little boys it didn't mean they didn't have to look nice. (So many people used to say, "I'd like to have a daughter so I could dress her". I used to think, "I dress my sons!" (Of course, it was in clothes that I thought would help them realize that attractive isn't just something for girls. I wanted them to be happy with their gender and not to feel like second-class little urchins that nobody bothered helping to look nice because they were "only" boys.)

Anyway - right or wrong - my sons grew up to be people who actually have quite nice taste in clothing. They're not "Dapper Dans" (does anyone use that term any more?), but they're not slobs. They know when to put on a decent shirt, when to wear pants that aren't jeans, and they generally look pretty decent and attractive.

If you're the kind of parent who has raised a little gentleman (and that doesn't mean he's not athletic or isn't active; it just means he has a little more "something" than some of the urchins have and maybe he's a little more socially mature), I don't think you can do anything differently than what you're doing. The question of whether or not I should have made sure my kids dumbed down their appearance in order to look like a lot of the other kids did wasn't one that had an answer I was super-positive about, but I could only do what seemed right to me.

Thinking about it, I don't think my little "gentlemen" would have been any more like many of those other kids even if they dressed like them because they were, in fact, different in more ways than dress. I don't know about this, but I wonder if maybe the way your son dresses would stand out less in a different school or even at a different bus stop. You're not the only one who dresses your child well. You just may live among people who don't.

I think you should do what you think is right and not worry about those other kids. You KNOW they are the ones who could stand to change. Knowing that, all you can do is do your own thing.

Answer 2

You must be lucky enough to have the income to buy all the Gap/Children's Place stuff......I, unfortunetly do not. My 6 year old son and 4 year old daughter get clothes from, GASP! Wal-mart, and OH NO! Target (sometimes even those nasty, icky stores like K-mart and Shopko)....although I don't let them wear sweat pants and sloppy t-shirts to school. Their clothing and shoes are always new, clean, and neat. At 4 & 6, they grow so fast, what's the point in spending a fortune on expensive clothes? And I don't care what you think, clothes and shoes from those stores are NOT that bad....they've come a long way over the years, and you can buy stuff that looks nice (in fact, you can buy stuff that looks just like Gap clothes for half the price). And they're 4 & 6!! Do you think they REALLY care what they look like? They should be thinking about school, and what game they're going to be playing at recess! What kind of child are you raising that cares that much about what he (and the other kids) looks like? Have you ever thought that the parents of those "icky" kids care just as much as you do, but don't have the money to buy new clothes? You ever heard the phrase "You can't judge a book by it's cover"? Have you been close enough to those "icky" kids to see if they're clean? Who cares if they're wearing sweat pants, if they're clean! I suggest you take a step back and reevaluate your morals, sister. Stop being a snooty &itch! Try donating your son's old clothes to a Goodwill!

Answer 3

My daughter likes to look good when she dresses too. So, I completely understand where you're coming from. She can't stand the shirts most girls wear logos and saying on them. She thinks they're tacky....and I agree. She loves to look like a little girl. She's in to dresses and skirts and loves the gauchos. Everything has to match. This year, we changed schools for a better education and she now wears a uniform. We still found as many different styles as we could. Lots of variety and she still likes it.

Many parents don't put the time or effort into their child's wardrobe. However, those same parents are often dressed to the hilt. Also, most parents let their kids dress with whatever the fashion is, no matter what it looks like. As young as my daughter is, she says "I'll never date a boy with his pants around his butt". It just makes me laugh. I don't think the kids you see are icky, just doing their own style. Unfortunately, it IS the style. Have you ever read what some of these shirts say?? WOW!! Glad mine doesn't like it, but even if she did, no way she's wearing it to school.

Keep doing what you're doing. If he's happy and so are you, their fashion doesn't matter. There's something out there for everyone.

Answer 4

Thats awsome that u can buy ur child the better things in life. I think the other parents probably arent as concerned with thier kids style so much as just dressing them for the weather i wish my mom could've dressed me in gap when I was 6! :) You are doing a good thing he will appreciate this later looking back at school pics and what not. Maybe their parents don't have the money to buy brand name clothing or maybe they r going 4 that thugged out look. (hopefully not)!

Answer 5

The styles are different for kids, it all depends on what the parents want them to wear, or even what the kids are comfortable in. I don't think you need any help at all. It seems your boy likes the way he is dressed, and that is all that matters. Just because the other kids dress in baggy clothes or sweatpants, it doesn't mean they are "bad" kids. It's all about what they are comfortable in. And yes, that is a bit of the "style" nowadays, depending on who you ask!

Answer 6

You dont want to overdue to Gap look when other kids are looking so Retro. You want your child to fit in! Kids today wear all kinds of comfortable clothes, more sloppy the older they get. The kids at the bus stop are not ikky, just kids who have learned to express their individuality and group cohesiveness.

Maybe you could have some baggy clothes for school and more taylored when s/he is out with the family.

Answer 7

I would just take him to school if you are worried about the clothes part. I am so glad my boys have to wear school uniforms! If he is a walking ad for gap, I can only help but wonder what he will be like in the future. I don't think any child can be called icky.

Answer 8

One at 6 you still have control of what your son wears and getting him into this now will hopefully save a lot of arguments later. Second I know a lot of my younger two's friends ( they are 6 and 8) where the big sloppy clothes but they are imitating their older siblings. I am very fortunate my oldest is 14 and she hates all the skimpy show your body clothes that are out and prefers the basic t-shirts with the cute sayings and jeans, her khakis and polos. my 8 year old is starting to rebel on me and wants the flashier clothes that I think looks like something a streetwalker would wear and cringe when I see it, right now the rule is I buy it I buy what I want you buy it you buy what you want! My son is like yours he is a different kind of kid. He wears his jeans and western shirts sure but he loves his polos and khakis and all of his "preppy" clothes, last week he went shopping with grandma for his birthday and she let him pick out his own outfit he came home with a shirt, tie and dress pants and wanted to wear it to school. Keep dressing your son the way you are as long as he likes it and will go for it, it lets everyone know that hey I am proud and care about my appearance.

Answer 9

As long as he is happy and comfortable with his clothes I wouldn't worry about it. I have 4 boys and they all have different ideas of whats in style. I have a Gap Ad kid, a Cowboy, a Skater, and an athlete. You are probably seeing sloppy kids who don't care or whose parents don't care. I am sure at school your son blends right in with the norm. Don't worry- if he doesn't seem bothered by it then things are probably fine. Good Luck

Answer 10

I think how you dress your child is fine.
My dd who is 11 yr old dresses nice. Sweats are her, around the house weekend wear. However there is one thing no even mentioned
some familes just can't afford to dress their kids nice.
We could barely afford it this year. I think as long as the clothes are clean and covering their bodies so what. I don't like the baggy pants that show their butts either. But if you can't afford to buy clothes
then you have to depend on what you can get and not be to choosey. I am not saying that is the situation in ur case but its worth a thought to ponder.
Morgaine