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Baggy Pants

Jonathan702's picture

My teenage SS is a skater; ergo his pants hang off his butt. I may be old school, or of the notion that "I'm not with it". I don't like it, think he looks sloppy and I think it shows a certain level of disrespect.
First question is am I overreacting when I would like not to see his underware? This would also go for coming downstairs in his underware prior to going to bed. I don't want to see that!!
Second would be is it to much to ask the wife (and BM) to enforce the rule as well? This is not going well by the way. She thinks that its a stupid rule and says outright that she will not enforce it while I'm not there.
What do I do? I use the arguement that we should be a united front and be consistant. Do I just give up? Am I being petty?

Sasha's picture

One of these days I would love to sneak up behind one of the kids and yank their pants down around their ankles!

But seriously, even though I don't like it I think you need to pick your battles. Is this the hill you want to die on? Is he a good kid otherwise? Seeing that your wife will not enforce it while you are not there, I would just let this one go.

holeekrap789's picture

A few years ao in a very crowded building in downtown buffalo new york a frail little old white lady walked up behind a HUGE black gangster whos pants were hanging down and she yanked his pants up and yelled at him for walking around like that! I couldn't believe my eyes and was terrified for this old woman....Guess what happend next...This big scary young man hung his head down emabarassed/ashamed and apologized to her and everyone around him. I will never forget that incident.
It probably doesn't help you much but if you feel like making this a fight between you and SS(I personally don't think it's worth the power struggle) then just walk up behind him and yank his pants up whenever he is dressed like that in front of you.
The questions here are, 1. will mom stay out of it? 2.will you get sick of doing it before he gets sick of getting it done to him? and 3. will this bring about violence?
I'm sure there are more questions to go with it but this is what I have for now, I am too busy laughing at the memory and oomph of the old lady!---lol

Lisa Dawn

Catch22's picture

He is not a gangter, he is not a bad kid, he is white incidently and he wears his pants around his butt crack. It annoys the shit out of me, it wrecks his pants in the crutch. I have yelled at him, talked with him and told his friends that I can see their undies...none of this has made a difference, it's a fad at the moment. I can't stop my 4 year old neice picking her nose either..LOL.

But hey, I told my BF is the 80's I loved his mullet also..I think on this one you may have to put it down to a ridiculous fad kids are going through, this too shall pass as did the mullet haircut.

Lisa dawn...funny story LMAO!!

Catch xx
*Mean People Suck*

Catch22's picture

It's always a cracker to bring up the 80's. Mullets, Wham, legwarmers, sweatbands (like flashdance)..LOL my brother had to wear these stupid blue and white sweatbands on both wrists..Hahah...I pay out on him to this day for those.LMAO!! Me and my friends used to wear fluro socks (I was 11) One hot pink the other fluro yellow with opposite colour folded under the other..Hahahahah...How funny is that!?? And my parents also never said a word. Thanks for the memory...

Catch xx
*Mean People Suck*

Riley's picture

We fought the "jailer" look with my skids. We felt the same way as most parents that it was ridiculous at best and offensive at worst. My DH insisted they wear belts and keep their pants up. I suspect that when they left the house, the belt was loosened and the pants rode down.

Here's why we really didn't tolerate the "jailer" look. It started out as a "medal" of having just come from jail, which for gangsters is a right of passage. The jails remove belts from prisoners, hence the jailer look. AND that is why we didn't allow the look in our house. Not so much of how it looked, but what it glorified. Did it mean they would turn out to be gangsters? No. It meant that our values, as parents, did not include valuing gangster values, like "jailing."

Try to explain this to your DW...and if she still doesn't get it, then this is a lost battle on your part. They are her kids and it's her values that need to be the premise to your and her decisions.

Sasha's picture

(C)rap...that is just too funny!

Anxious_Poet's picture

I have studied Criminology for many years and once read that the style of wearing one's pants lower on the waist had originally began among the prison population. Apparently, an inmate wearing his pants low on his waist was "secret code" that he was AVAILABLE, if you know what I mean! Of course, the release of many of those prisoners in the late 80's created an insurgence of former inmates reintegrating back into their prospective societies, bringing with them, among other things, a new style of dress.
Maybe you could mention that little tidbit to your SS?

Frog44's picture

SS that I love him very much, but that doesn't mean that I want to see his underwear. LOL - so he pulls up the pants. My hubby also tells him. It's not a battle with SS, we just remind him, and he obliges.

I sometimes laugh and say "OOOO, we're wearing Sponge Bob today??" referring to whatever boxers he wearing (and believe me I don't really WANT to know). He'll laugh, and pull up his pants...

proud mom's picture

I agree with most you have to pick your battles and if he is a good kid and wants everyone to see his underware than so be it what is he hurting if someone doesn't like the way he looks tell them to look away. I grew up in a house with no dress code persay, the only rule was I had to be covered, boobs couldn't be hanging out or butt could not be showing. Now I am faced with the whold hair issue my 11 year old has "shaggy" hair it looks awful but guess what his report card was 4 A's and 2 B's so I chose to pick my battles and hair just isn't one I fight. He will get tired of it one day until then as long as he is a good kid I have other more important things to worry about other than a haircut.

Live for today,you may not have a tommorow

Austen's picture

and wore so much black eyeliner into my 20s that my friend finally had to tell me that 'less is more.' I never would have listened to my mom -- and I'm sure she cringed every time she saw me -- but bless her, she never said a word.
Let it go.