Make up Your Mind, School

"Mom, guess what?" my thirteen-year-old daughter exclaimed.  "We can wear jeans to school now!  I knew you wouldn't believe me so I got (math teacher's name) to write you a note." 

Sure enough, the math teach had written a note stating the same thing my daughter had said.  Later that evening the school's computer called and gave the message about wearing jeans as well.

This shouldn't be a big deal to me but it is a deal of some size nonetheless.  This school changes its dress code willie-nillie.  Why can't they come up with a dress code before school lets out in May and stick with it until the following May?  This seems logical to me.

Instead, they change the dress code whenever the mood strikes.  I took my daughter to the school to pick up registration materials back in early July.  I was given a sheet of paper listing the uniform colors.  For this blog I'll just give the shirt colors for now.  Shirts could be red, white, navy, or gray.  We bought red, white, and gray.  When we got to orientation on August 20th (School started August 23rd) They had a changed uniform policy already.  Now shirts could be only red, white, or navy.  So back to the store to make an exchange. 

What kid doesn't have jeans?  What's the point of having uniforms if you can wear jeans?  The only rule is no designs on the legs.  My daughter and the friends she walks to school with all wore jeans today.  I bet the entire student body did too. 

My new neighbor was especially upset because of the change.  She just moved in a few weeks ago from out of state.  Her money is tight and she had just purchased uniform pants for her son.  He had been wearing shorts but because of the change in the weather shorts are no longer practical.  My neighbor said her son has plenty of jeans and the new uniform pants can't be returned because they've been worn once. 

The dress code calls for coats to be school colors but solid.  This would make since if, most people didn't come from out of state, and they stuck with their policies.  My daughter has two coats, both of which still fit.  The solid one is not school colors and the other is a red and black plaid.  Now they don't wear coats to class.  They leave them in their lockers.  So please explain to me why it would matter what color their coats are if they're only wearing them to and from school.  I am not buying another coat. 

I've always been against school uniforms.  The arguments in favor of them just sound like weak parenting and feel good liberalism.  Kids may as well learn from the get go that life isn't fair or equal.  Some people make more money than others.  If parents can't afford expensive clothes then tell the child no.  It's that simple.  Buy what you can afford.  Some say gang colors are the reason for requiting uniforms.  Come on, if gang members can't wear their colors to school they will come up with another symbol: hairstyle, jewelry, facial expression for that matter.  Every problem can't be cured with conformity. 

School dress code should be wear clean clothes that cover your cleavage, midriff, and butt.  Then leave the rest to the parents.  Some will dress from Nordstrum or Bloomingdales, others will dress from the dollar store and thrift shops, while most will dress from stores in between.  So what, that's life.