School Uniforms- Are They Really Necessary?

Ok, so it's almost back to school time and that means that I have to get my kids new school uniforms. All three of them will be in school this year and all three of them need to have uniforms.

I suppose that I should be happy that, at least, I don' have to order from a catalogue and can purchase them at places like Walmart or Kohls, deciding how fancy or nice I want them to be and also can control the cost a little bit, but I'm not happy that they have to wear them and here's why:

Growth

Kids- especially younger kids, grow at different rates. What might fit my child at the beginning of the year, may not fit my child in the middle of it. That means, if they grow, I'll have to purchase more.

My 5 year old just in this last year started in a size 4 and is now wearing size 7. He's only an inch shorter than his 7 year old sister. He had quite the growth spurt.

I also just can't hand down the uniforms because my boys are built differently. One has wide hips and the other one hardly has a hip to hold his pants in place. That means that I have to get one boy regular size pants and the other one somewhere between regular and husky, even though he's not husky, he's just built like a broad football player.

Unavailability

If I have to purchase more uniforms during the middle of the year, it's very difficult to find them.

My kids have to wear navy blue pants with a light blue, dark blue, or white collared shirt. It's a little easier to find the boys collared shirts, but it's almost impossible to find shirts for my daughter.

If you're going to make parents buy uniform clothes that you don't personally sell, strive for khaki or tan colored pants. Those are out year round.

I can never find navy blue pants unless I'm shopping a colorful aisle in the adult section.

Price and Clutter

Buying uniforms isn't very cost effective. Instead of just having to my kids regular back-to-school clothes, I have to buy my kids clothes for home and clothes for school.

If we never went anywhere, I could just let my kids wear pjs when they get home, but there are instances where I need to get out of the house and people like to comment on the things my kids wear all the time. (That one time my daughter paired a pink Minnie Mouse dress shirt with red, plaid bottoms comes to mind.)

It's also hard enough to do laundry and put clothes away. Having to wash clothes for school and clothes for after school just piles more things to do on us. I'm lucky enough to have a husband who can work while I can do housework stuff whenever I want to, but there are single or working parents who don't have time to do it when it should get done.

Uniforms as an Equalizer?

I know that uniforms are supposed to be an equalizer, but they really aren't.

Uniforms are expensive and for those who thrift shop to save money, aren't really going to find something nice for grade school kids. When I've shopped in secondhand stores, even nice ones, everything has been faded or was one wash away from getting frayed or have holes in them.

Grade school kids play rough and chances are, those uniforms get worn more than once in a week, so washing multiple times fades them. Chances are, many of these uniforms don't fit like they used to either because they are stretched or have shrunk with many washings.

Some kids are going to go to school in really nice uniforms, while others are going to go in looking frumpy and out of place. IF kids were able to wear regular clothes, it's so much easier to find nice, hardly been worn, clothes at a nice resale shop, and no one has to know they weren't bought new.

Yes, I know that there are programs for parents to be able to get their kids uniforms funded for them, but not everyone meets the requirements and those who make just a little more than the top line, have to pay an arm and a leg to purchase them.

Personalities Still Shine Through

When you use the argument that uniforms reduce the attendance in gangs and stops kids from dividing into clicks, I think you're delusional!

Kids have personalities that draw and attract other kids. EX: My oldest son is a social butterfly with ADHD. Kids are drawn to him and he could make friends with anyone he wants, but the friends that he wants to make are the kids who keep getting themselves in trouble because they are the ones who grab attention, too.

You can see this example in movies. Have you ever seen Princess Diaries? Superstar? Students are still divided and kids can still be hurtful.

Even if uniforms stopped the segregation in school; neighborhoods, relatives, and family friends are still able to influence when it comes to how children behave. Kids still see others outside of school so there is still the chance of gangs gathering together. Think of the Mob- You had some who were dressed in fine Italian suits while others were dressed more casual. They still looked like ordinary people and even though they may not acknowledge each other in public, things still happened behind the scenes.

Conclusion

Buying uniforms is just a pain in the butt.

What do you think about uniforms? Do you agree with these points? Do you disagree? Comment in the section below and don't forget to share or subscribe if you like my posts!