# Sweatpants are tacky...on a 4 year-old?! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 21, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604 "2014-04-21T13:10:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/21 "2014-04-21T16:05:20Z")
No. What was tacky was the little girl in my son’s pre-school class who wore shorts with writing on the back and Brittney Spears t-shirts. _That_ is tacky. Dressing your daughter like a hoochie mama is beyond tacky and it was really no surprise when her father was arrested for trying to rape the 13 year old baby sitter - but that’s a whole other topic. Whenever my ex or his parents had something to say about anything I’d just put a big ole smile on my face and say in my most cheerful voice that if they didn’t like the way I dressed him for school then they were more than welcome go come get him in the morning and dress him themselves. Same thing when they were _horrified, just horrified_ that I wasn’t taking him to church. They were welcome to come pick him up on their way to church, I’d even have him dressed and ready to go. They never took me up on it. Guess it wasn’t so important to them after all. Funny how other people want to tell you how to do things as long as the only effort they have to make is running their mouths. Anyway, at that age kids need to be comfortable. As long as the clothes are clean, fit and are weather appropriate what else matters? If the school isn’t complaining then there is no problem. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/22 "2014-04-21T16:11:41Z")
> [@Oreo](#): > > I’m the Mom in a similar situation. Two days a week, my ex is responsible for dressing our four year old for school. And yes, sometimes I roll my eyes at his selections…he has a wonderful ability to pick the most mismatched clothing possible. It’s called being a man. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/23 "2014-04-21T16:12:09Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Ketchup stains? Ketchup-stained tactical pants :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/24 "2014-04-21T16:14:09Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > This could go either way. She might be right. She might be wrong. I’d have to see how the kid was dressed for a week to judge. > > But here’s the thing… It doesn’t matter. Even if she’s wrong, you should do it anyway. > > Is this the hill you wish to die on? If there is a disagreement here, why does _he_ get this advice? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/25 "2014-04-21T16:57:16Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > It’s called being a man. 😉 Not necessarily. I babysat my cousin when she was 4-5 years old. I would let her pick her own outfits, and occasionally they were pretty goofy. I think it’s important for a young kid to feel like they have control over something in their life, and clothes are an easy way to do that. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/26 "2014-04-21T16:57:57Z")
Because he’s the one asking for advice? ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/27 "2014-04-21T17:11:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If there is a disagreement here, why does _he_ get this advice? If _she_ had come and asked about this issue, we’d tell her the same thing. But she didn’t, so there you go. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/28 "2014-04-21T17:14:35Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If there is a disagreement here, why does _he_ get this advice? Because one day he’ll have something really important to him to ask of her, and it’ll be her turn to decide what hill to die on. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/29 "2014-04-21T17:31:20Z")
How the child is dressed makes a big difference socially. Like it or not, some parents are less likely to invite him for a playdate if he looks sloppy or unkempt. While those may not be the parents you would choose as buddies, their child may be the one your child most wants to play with. My ex lets his mother go to k-mart and buy brightly colored (I mean neon) animal print dresses made of double-knit polyester and he sends her to school that way on a regular basis. It makes me sick, frankly, and absolutely affects her self-esteem and social life. Of course, she is a good deal older. Please look at all of these questions solely from your son’s point of view. Remove your ex from the question and put it to yourself “XX topic has been raised; what affect will Y and Z approaches have on my child?” Don’t let the source dictate your responses. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/30 "2014-04-21T17:39:58Z")
I only allow my kid to go on play dates with children dressed in seersucker material or better. That’s how I became good friends with Tom Wolfe’s great-grandkids. True story. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/31 "2014-04-21T17:51:00Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > \*\*My ex lets his mother \*\*go to k-mart and buy brightly colored (I mean neon) animal print dresses made of double-knit polyester and **he sends her** to school that way on a regular basis. It makes me sick, frankly, and absolutely affects her self-esteem and social life. Of course, she is a good deal older. > . His mother? ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/32 "2014-04-21T17:55:41Z")
Well clearly there are sliding scales of strokes for sliding scales of folks at play here but at the very least you can see where the ex-wife is coming from. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/33 "2014-04-21T18:00:43Z")
Bear in mind that everyone parents a little bit differently, so we shouldn’t be too hard on someone for how they choose to raise their child. That said, your ex is being batshit loco. My wife and I have dressed our boys in such pants (we call them “fuzzy pants”) from ages 0-5 and I would never think they were inappropriate for anything except maybe a funeral. Maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/34 "2014-04-21T18:03:19Z")
I’m in the camp that says sweats are tacky at school, even for kids. Sweats are athletic gear or lounging around the house clothes. Not school clothes. Jeans and that skull t-shirt you mentioned sound good to me. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/35 "2014-04-21T18:11:09Z")
I’ve mentioned before that I do a lot of _guardian ad litem_ work in custody cases. As a GAL, I’m more interested in whether the child is wearing clean clothes, appropriate for the weather and anticipated activity. “Tacky” only blips my radar if it means the child is wearing clothes with adult language/pictures, drug references, age-inappropriate designs, or something similar. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/36 "2014-04-21T18:23:59Z")
Monitoring this all morning from my phone, but I hate replying like that. Wasn’t really looking for _advice_ just seeing if I was crazy for thinking that there was nothing wrong with those pants. First, to clarify “The Pants”…again, they are not fat-man-drawstrting-elastic-cuff pants. They ARE black soft cotton pants. They have pockets, and are more styled than sweatpants, thought they are still certainly casual. I would feel comfortable classifying them as ‘active wear’. I tried to find a picture but didn’t have any luck. Second, 95% of the time I put him in a nice outfit that includes jeans, khakis or cargo pants. Or shorts, now that it’s warm. I like him to look nice and he generally doesn’t put up a fight if I give him two shirts to pick from. So I DON’T send him to school looking “unkempt”. Is it a hill I wish to die on? Not really. I just replied that I didn’t feel that there is anything wrong with those pants, and when he’s at my house I’ll dress him how I feel is appropriate. You want to know the real kicker? It was 60 degrees this morning and it’s going to be warm…and there is a nice-looking pair of blue shorts in his backpack that I sent with him Friday because I knew it would be warm today. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/37 "2014-04-21T18:27:50Z")
I’m still trying to figure out how/why she ‘texted you’ and the timing of it - is she stalking? Who told her about the boys pants? Why? eta - choice of clothes seems fine -mother’s behaviou? Notsomuch. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/38 "2014-04-21T18:33:58Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I’m still trying to figure out how/why she ‘texted you’ and the timing of it - is she stalking? Who told her about the boys pants? Why? > > eta - choice of clothes seems fine -mother’s behaviou? Notsomuch. I dropped him off with her Friday morning (at which time, btw, I told her about the extra shorts)…I pick him back up today from day care after work , so he went to school today in the clothes I dropped him off with. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/39 "2014-04-21T18:50:38Z")
You’re not crazy or wrong for being bothered by the request. She’s not wrong with having preferences either, but she needs to understand that when the child is with you, it’s your choice on what he gets to wear. As long as he’s within the bounds of public decency, then his clothes are fine. What’s next? Her nitpicking your color selection? The line has to be drawn somewhere unless she’s inviting you to nitpick her choices. And this is what I would to say to her. ---
**Author:** ![delsina363](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@delsina363](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delsina363)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604/40 "2014-04-21T19:04:23Z")
In my opinion sweat pants are no big deal. I have 2 daughters, and most of the time my oldest in yoga pants. No biggie. She is not allowed to wear them to school, mind you. And I am with the poster who wrote no writing on the back of pants. I would never, ever, dress my girls in this manner. I see kids dressed like this a lot. With words like “CUTE” and “PINK” going across their butt. I honest to God do not know what their parents are thinking. Also, the PINK thing that is so fashionable today. I will never let my daughters where anything that says “PINK” on it. :smack: For those who do not know, this is a line from Victoria’s Secrets. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweatpants-are-tacky-on-a-4-year-old/686604.md?page=3)