Dumb question..Does anyone have a dress code, such as

[Gamom3]

Khaki pants/skirt and a colored polo?

 

I have thought about doing this for dc. I don't know why, but thought it might help them to be more productive:confused1:

 

Anyone do this?

[Crissy]

I have enough trouble finding all the parts of various sports uniforms. I think I'd go out of my mind keeping school uniforms together.

 

Instead, I make sure my boys' clothes are always clean and well cared for (once the jeans have holes in the knees, or shirts have stains, they're out of here) and that everything fits well.

My husband requests shirts tucked in and belts on the pants.

Each morning they get dressed in clean comfortable clothes and we don't give it another thought.

 

I'm not sure how the color of clothing or style of shirt would result in greater productivity.

[BMW]

One year I picked out khaki color pants for the boys, hunter green polos for everyone, navy blue skirts (not longer, but cute shorter skirts) and navy sweaters for everyone. I took a few months and got all of it on ebay at very low prices for good quality stuff. It was fun. I got myself an outfit to match, too.

 

I did this for a school-ish identity - we picked out our school name, we went out for trips and all dressed this way and took photos together and I enjoyed it all... I think we probably dressed this way a couple days a week and the other days it was whatever they picked out. We also had a school room that was built in a detatched garage, so we got dressed and

"went" to school. Those were good days and we stayed focused.

 

For us, we didn't do it for us to stay focused as much as I had pre-teen and teen girls who were fighting me over what clothing to buy and they were getting caught up in trendy looks that I wanted to avoid. The oldest girls did NOT like uniforms, but the rest of the kids did.

 

Bee

[Kay in Cal]

My family dress code is: You must be wearing something that covers your bottom.

 

I can't tell you how many times in a day I have to send my boys in search of their underwear and shorts/pants. They both seem to take off all their clothes when they use the bathroom, or lie down, or color, or.... Anyhow, I'm happy when everyone is wearing pants.

 

Part of me likes the idea of my kids nicely dressed in khakis and polos. I mentioned it once, and my dh looked at me like I was insane.

 

We do all have matching tie-dye shirts that I made, but not enough to wear every day!

[Melora in NC]

My family dress code is: You must be wearing something that covers your bottom.

 

 

:lol: This is our rule too. Usually I ask them to wear shirts as well, but sometimes I let that slide.

[Jennifer in MI]

We haven't, but I've thought about it!! I do think that kids behave better when they're dressed well. We attend various nice functions throughout the year where the kids are very dressy. They have ALWAYS lived up to our expectations. I honestly think it was the clothes they were wearing!

 

If you think it'll make your kids more productive - try it!! I don't know if you were ever in the work force, but I know that I was less productive on casual Friday because of how I was dressed.

 

I haven't done it because I'm cheap and I'm concerned that my kids would feel too comfortable here at home to have it actually change their behavior.

[elegantlion]

We don't use a dress code. My ds has one type of shorts he likes and has about 10 different pairs in various colors. He only wears a shirt to school if it is cool, that's about 2 months of the year. He does have to wear a shirt if he is playing with his friends.

 

We had a bad day this year and I threatened to send him to public school where he would have to wear socks and shoes and even a shirt to school, all while he sat still in a chair. :001_huh: That was enough for him to straighten up.

[Tammy]

It is always shorts and shirts here at my house....and that is pretty much all year long....

 

I wouldn't want to implement a 'dress code'.....that just sounds too much like 'school' LOL!

 

Tammy

[kristavws]

Well, I am embarrassed to admit it, but probably at least 3-days a week we are generally in our PJs until our lunch break. This would include my dh as well, since he works from home. I haven't noticed that it impacts our productivity or focus though :001_huh:

 

Krista

[ereks mom]

Showering or bathing and then getting dressed gets us awake & moving. BUT... every once in awhile, the dc will wear their pajamas all day.

[cricket1178]

Our dress code is no pajamas. I can't tell you how many times they try to get by with t-shirt and pj bottoms and pass it off as sweats they'd wear to ps if they attended there.

 

I didn't use to care much, but I've discovered that when they are dressed they get more work done more productively.

[linders]

My DS must have either pajamas or day clothes on to do schoolwork. He often sleeps in just his underwear, and I just can't teach while looking at Spiderman on skivvies.

[Kelli in TN]

Ours dress code is that you must get dressed unless it is your laundry day and you are waiting for clean clothes.

 

You must not stink.

 

Your breath must not stink.

 

Your hair must not look like a rat's nest and if Mom says it looks like a rat's nest then it does, no matter what you think. Mom is all knowing about these things. So go brush it already.

 

Mom follows the same dress code required for the kids.

 

Beyond that, I don't care.

[Elaine]

My DS must have either pajamas or day clothes on to do schoolwork. He often sleeps in just his underwear, and I just can't teach while looking at Spiderman on skivvies.

 

:lol::D:lol:

[OnTheBrink]

Ours dress code is that you must get dressed unless it is your laundry day and you are waiting for clean clothes.

 

You must not stink.

 

Your breath must not stink.

 

Your hair must not look like a rat's nest and if Mom says it looks like a rat's nest then it does, no matter what you think. Mom is all knowing about these things. So go brush it already.

 

Mom follows the same dress code required for the kids.

 

Beyond that, I don't care.

 

I said this very same thing just last week.

 

"Your hair is a rat's nest!"

 

(indignantly)"It is not!"

 

"What, am I lying then?"

 

(momentary pause)"Well, there are no rats residing in my hair!"

 

"Brush. It. Out. Or I'll do it for you."

 

(screams of horror not unlike those of Freddy Kruger's victims)"NOOOOO! I'LL DO IT, I'LL DO IT!" (runs off to the bathroom)

 

And, I have the other rules as well. No stinking of any sort, and be dressed.

[Margo out of lurking]

As I began reading this thread, I felt like one great big giant slacker, so the later replies were encouraging. My kids have are allowed one pajama day each week. My 13yo usually drags out another half day, with the excuse that, "I'll just have to change again into my (horseback) riding clothes." "Dressed" for her usually means sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt of dh's. "Dressed" to me just means they are wearing something other than what they slept in. I think many of us find it helpful to have some sort of routine. My own routine is to have them at the table at 8:30, eating breakfast, ready to begin school. Your routine might be to have your kids dressed in a way that indicates it's school time. My cousin did that for several years, and it worked for them. Matching school clothes sounds so organized! (And I'm still feeling like a slacker!)

[nukeswife]

My family dress code is: You must be wearing something that covers your bottom.

 

I can't tell you how many times in a day I have to send my boys in search of their underwear and shorts/pants. They both seem to take off all their clothes when they use the bathroom, or lie down, or color, or.... Anyhow, I'm happy when everyone is wearing pants.

 

Part of me likes the idea of my kids nicely dressed in khakis and polos. I mentioned it once, and my dh looked at me like I was insane.

 

We do all have matching tie-dye shirts that I made, but not enough to wear every day!

 

 

Kay that is hilarious.:lol: My oldest used to be like that until he was about 4.5 he though if you had on a shirt and underwear you were dressed. We don't now where it came from. We have some close friends (also a Navy family) and when we are fortunate enough to live by each other we have "kid swap" days. The minute my son would get in their house off came the shoe, socks and yes pants. They just laughed and said "well at least we know he's comfortable"

[nancypants]

Nope. I hated the dress code at my private school growing up. As long as they are not in pajamas (I do realize that some like to school in jammies... nothin' wrong with it...) because we just can't get started unless everyone is dressed. But really, I don't mind what they wear as long as they remembered to change their underwear. :lol:

[nmoira]

 

My family dress code is: You must be wearing something that covers your bottom.

That's us! Except we've had to add no underwear on the head during "school" time as it's too distracting.

[Audrey]

I am told that I have an unreasonably strict dress code. It is "no pajamas."

 

ETA: My dh just saw this and said I'm not being very honest. So in the interest of full disclosure, the dress code really is "Don't even think about coming down those stairs with your pajamas on, bucko!"

[Jen in NY]

and worn once!

 

Seven years ago when we brought the kids home my grandmother shipped us some uniforms from JCPenney's. It was a nice thought... but seriously, I'm happy if they come daoen dressed in anything :o)

 

Jen in NY

[Jackie in AR]

Dd 10 has mentioned a couple of times that she thinks it would be nice for her to have uniforms to wear while she homeschools.

 

I have no clue why she's come up with this idea; so far, I've resisted buying her anything.

 

If she continues to have this desire, I'm sure I'll purchase a couple of things to appease her.

[GreenKitty]

Our only dress code is to be clothed in hopefully semi matching attire and clean. LOL Also, no shirts above the bellybutton when arms are raised, no pants low enough so when you bend over people see something else.

 

We have no shirts with our school name on them, but that would be pretty cool.

[RoughCollie]

I wanted to buy uniforms for my DC. Then I realized that they would have to change out of them after school. Well, they wouldn't *have* to, just that what would be the point of having uniforms *for* school if they would be wearing them all day? My kids who go to parochial school change out of their uniforms when they get home, so the changing clothes plan isn't far off base, IMO.

 

That would create more laundry. So I decided against it, and the kids were glad. If they had wanted uniforms, I would have obliged them.

 

We do have a dress code of sorts, in that everyone has to wear clothing and must know where their shoes are. DD is not allowed to wear clothing that makes her look like she dances on tables for a living. DD has to brush her hair (it is very long), and all of them have to brush their teeth after breakfast. The boys do not have long enough hair to brush.

 

RC

[jmgconner]

I had my DS wear khaki pants and a navy polo shirt for a year. It was really terrific and this thread reminds me that perhaps I want to go back to that. He looked really nice, and he did seem to work better. I find it akin to Flylady's shoe policy. We seem to get more work done and at a better quality when we are dressed nicely.

[Jolash]

:lol: We DO have a uniform around here... ds8 does school in his underwear (his current faves are Gap 'ants in the pants" undies) Unless it is really cold, that's what he wears. A good friend started hs'ing just last week, and HER son called mine to tell him "I am doing school in my underwear!" It's become a well known fact around here for some reason!

 

For the record, I do NOT do school in my underwear!

[CactusPair]

I wish my dc would wear pajamas! They have a couple of cute pairs from Grampa, but nothin' doin'.

 

My ds has sensory issues. Some days --not as often as before-- I have to decide if getting dressed or doing school is more important.

 

Underwear is a comlete uniform here. ;)

[jejily]

We're kinda new to this, but FWIW...

 

WE have a no pajama rule. There were a couple of days, before I established the "no pajama" rule, that DS started school in his boxers and T-shirt. And, I confess, I was also in my PJs still. :blush:

 

But, we honestly did not accomplish as much on those days as we did when we were more... formal, I guess you could say, about our school day.

 

I've noticed that DS does much better with lots of structure, and even he recognized that he works better when he's dressed.

 

I need to reread the FlyLady site, and remind myself to shower and get dressed FIRST THING every day... since we've been out of school for the summer, I've been staying in my jammies far too long every day, and I really DON'T get anything accomplished!

 

Oh, and, as an aside... well, really, back on topic... my DS18 was only in public schools (none with uniforms). But, when he was in 4th grade, he was exhibiting some behavior problems, and, as a consequence, I required him to wear kahkis and a polo (or something similar) to school every day. It made a difference. It really did.

[swellmomma]

heck no. It's enough just to get clothes on my 9yo ds. He has sensory issues when it comes to clothes and he would rather be nekkid then have to deal with finding something that feels right for that day. Assigning a dress code beyond, "clothing must be worn" is just too much for this family.

[dirty ethel rackham]

You know, I am all for uniforms at brick-and-mortar schools, but at home, I just want them clean and presentable. At schools, the social dynamic of who has the right clothes is eliminated with uniforms (as long as the uniform also has footwear guidelines.) At home, we don't have that dynamic, so I don't see a purpose. I have a son with sensory issues and after the years of struggling to find clothing he would wear, I have certainly relaxed my standards in order to have a peaceful home.

[covenant.christian]

Some days, I allow pajama pants-this is because of the cost of clothes to wear outside the home-I don't know if that makes sense, but it cuts my costs on formal-ish clothing.

[oceandaughter]

It is all I can do to get my sensory kid to change into his "morning clothes" and out of his "jammies". My husband, to this day (he will be 38 next month), will not wear navy blue pants because he had to wear them every day in his Catholic elementary school. (His younger brother is the same way.)

 

 

I'd love to hear some more on why having uniforms seems to help you, though. I'm curious now.

 

That being said, I do like to get my kids and dh and I to wear matching t-shirts or tie dies when we go out in public. It helps us keep up with each other in crowded situations.

 

This is very interesting to me, the subject of homeschool uniforms. I bet my boys would enjoy designing a fun t-shirt to wear sometimes. I'll ask them.