Are you putting your kids in vests for the winter this year

[SaraJane]

Standing at the school gate last week, I heard a group of mums discussing when they should start getting their kids back into vests for the winter. The general consensus was that most kids don't wear vests any more. Mine certainly don't, and my own mum stopped insisting that I wore them once I started junior school. How about you all?

[Sally_Dee]

I didn't think kids wore vests at all these days. Mine certainly don't, in fact they haven't even got any, and I never did from the age of five onwards. Looking back to my childhood, vests were about the only thing that my mother and I disagreed strongly about. She was very keen on them, both for herself and for me and my sister, but once Susie and I started school and found out that most of our class-mates didn't even possess vests, let alone wear them, the battle lines were drawn. As we never slept in our vests, we had a couple of weeks of "getting ready for school" rows about putting them on when we got up. In the end, Mum let us have our way, with the solemn warning that when we came running to her looking for vests because we were cold, we might have to go on shivering as she would have given them away to more appreciative children. We never did, of course, and within a couple of years, she stopped wearing vests herself.

[Grandmother]

In my area (Northeastern USA) vests seem very popular with teen age girls. Many wear a white vest high enough to maintain modesty under their blouse, then leave their blouse unbuttoned far enough down to be rather suggestive. I think it looks cheap, but fortunately my daughters are old enough and my granddaughters young enough that we do not have to deal with teen age fashions.

[Guest]

do your kids wear vests??? wtf

[Guest]

do you check out whether they should wear wooly socks too? or whether they should have laceups or buckles?

[Saturn]

The posts reminded me of my childhood. When I was young my mother was very insistant that vests were worn-throughout the year. I didnt even realise that not wearing vests in summer was the norm--as it was then-till I was about 7. If caught vestless we were often sent to put one on--and we had to ask if we were allowed out without one--and only got the yes on the hottest of days.

I changed school when I was 9, to an all boys private school, about 50% revealed vests when changing for PE in the winter. I had a minor kidney infection that year--cleared up in about 10 days with medicine--and this was considered the reason for the need for the vest by my mother throughout that winter. The summer afterwards was 1976--seriously long and hot--and we were allowed out vestless throughout(still had to ask though) The few at school disappeared that summer, and with only a few exceptions, never reappeared afterwards. As a rather embarassing but true story, mine did--due to the <Kidney Infection>. It became seriously embarassing in the School Changing Rooms, and the day came eventually when I said NO MORE. some time later on.

From the point of view of todays parents, buildings are better heated and insulated now, so there is no need, other than during the absolute coldest weather. they are likely to cause embarassement/teasing, so my advice is only for the coldest time--and dont embarass you children by passing comment. Peer pressure has made the humble vest now almost extinct--and there will be much more important and significant issues to tackle later, when the teenage hormones become rampant!

[Guest]

[Guest]

[Emma_123]

My 12 year-old granddaughter reports that, at her school, it's instant social death to be discovered wearing a vest. Things obviously haven't changed much in a couple of generations, as I and my sister spent much time and ingenuity in our pre-teen, pre-bra years in persuading our mother that we were indeed wearing our vests when we left the house, while not actually wearing one at all!

She also says that the clothing list for the boarders includes the following items:
Vests (if worn): 3
Nightwear (optional): 3

I can understand kids not bothering with nightwear at home, but do they really let kids sleep in the nude at boarding schools?

[FOOTYKITLAD 1980]

[dontott29]

[Carlos Big Calves]

[Jambuttie]

My son is 8 and still wears a vest in winter and never complains and never says anyone in school teases him. If he did express a wish not to wear one anymore then that would be fine by me espically if he was getting teased.

[dontott29]