Poor DS....

[Rock'n Robin]

Yesterday DS (7, 2nd grade) wore his Buzz Lightyear hockey-type jersey to school. After school he told me some kids made fun of him for liking Buzz Lightyear. I told him we would just not wear it to school, but he said "but I do like Buzz Lightyear!" Poor kid already is one of the shorter ones and the only 2nd grader with bifocals. All he needs is kids picking on this kind of thing. It's so sad. It reminds me of when my niece refused to wear her Barney stuff anymore once she got into kindergarten because her "friends" said something about it. Does every second grade boy have to have his clothes adorned with baseballs, soccer balls, hockey teams, etc.?
Robin M.

 

[monkeyboy]

Buzz better than Kim

 

[daisyduck123]

I'm going thru the same thing with my DS7, also in 2nd grade.

He has a Buzz Lightyear zip up sweatshirt he's been wearing for 2 years (I bought it in a big size) & about 10 days ago he said he could not wear it anymore because it's "Buzz Lightyear, mom".

 

[msdznyduck]

Reminds me of when my DS who is now a senior in high school.......
When he started kindergarten, his aunt gave him a Barney lunchbox. Barney was his favorite show when before he started school, and couldn't wait to bring his lunch to school in his new lunchbox. The first day he brought it, he got off the bus, and, with almost tears in his eyes....said, "I had a sad day today". Upon further questioning, the older kids on the bus, picked on him all the way to and from school about his lunchbox. He refused to take it again.

 

[Shutterbug]

Tell him even adults think Buzz Light year is cool!

 

[mannasn]

Kids are SO mean sometimes!

 

[disneychick05]

These are the kind of things that I dread in a few years when DS goes to school. It is just so sad.

 

[piglet too]

I'll never forget when last year my DS (only in Kinderarten at the time) came home all sad because some of the boys made fun of his Rescue Heros underpants. They teased him in the bathroom, and he would never wear them again. So sad that negative peer preasure starts so young.

 

[mom23boys]

My DS (6 in first grade) still wears his Buzz Lightyear Jersey. He also has a jackey, and a few sweatshirts. I asked him if anyone says anything about his jerseys and stuff. He said no.

I am sorry you DS is going through this. Kids are so mean sometimes.

 

[VickiVM]

OP, did your son indicate that he didn't want to wear his BL shirt anymore? The reason I ask is, if he likes the shirt and is not too bothered by the comments, then let him wear it. Support him either way, but maybe he needs a parent nudge to continue to wear what he likes and not let comments ruin it for him.

I would do almost anything to prevent my kids from getting teased at school, except that sometimes it does more to build their character if I support them and encourage them to not be concerned about what others think. We have encountered similar issues and instead of focusing on the negative comments, we re-inforce the positive.

 

[tmt martins]

I better put all my stuff away I have no BL but Stich ,Fab five,Mickey galore,dopey,grumpy and more Jack S then you could think.Oh and I'm 40 yrs old.

Let him hold his head high .

 

[Just2554]

I feel so bad for your DS. Kids can be so mean sometimes.

I must say though, it is SO strange to me that kids in 2nd grade are getting made fun of for wearing clothes with characters on them. I'm a freshman in college and for the past three years of my life, not a day has gone by where I haven't seen at least one person in a Disney, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, etc. shirt. Guys, girls, everyone! It just amazes me how quickly young children grow up these days.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Sad.

 

[megan4777]

It's so sad to hear your son experienced that.

Unfortunately, in the last year I've heard a ton of stories from friends and family members about how their child (mostly girls between the ages of 6-8yr old) won't wear "regular" clothes anymore (Wal-mart, Target...etc). They only want designer clothing and get upset when they're told they're not getting what they want.
Some of these girls are also asking if they look fat!!

It's heart breaking to think of these kids worrying about these things at such a young age. You just want them to stay young and have fun with whatever they're doing....not worrying about what they look like or what they're wearing.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I have two in second grade, a boy and a girl. Sad but true, I was warned about this a few years ago from friends who had kids older than mine. Since then I try to be careful about what I send them to school in. They love wearing their Disney shirts, but I've gotten selective about which ones they wear to school. For example, DS likes wearing his Rock n Roller Coaster, Mission Space, or Haunted Mansion (i.e. "cool") tee shirts. DD wears Tink or attraction shirts like her brother, but at school we try to steer clear of the princesses (though she has tons of stuff at home). They haven't had any incidents, but I think it's because there happen to be a lot of Disney fans in their school. Nonetheless, I could see it happening someday and I'd like to avoid it if I could.

I agree with the poster who says you should teach kids to not be upset about what others think, but it's kind of a tall order for young, impressionable children, so to do both I think is a good strategy.

BTW, Vicki, I your picture!!

 

[FreshTressa]

My daughter announced loudly in the gymboree store that the clothes were too babyish for her.

I was so embarassed. And sad too! I think they'd be cute.

 

[Sleepy]

My son has a good attitude. He doesn't care what people think...never has. So what if his hair is sticking up in one place. Doesn't care if the shirt he wore yesterday resembles the one he wants to wear today. I suppose after everyone finds out you take ballet and you have dealt with THAT, nothing else will phase you.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

DS actually is kind of torn. He does like Buzz, but you could tell he was disturbed by being picked on. Now as someone said DD#1 has both a care bear and a cookie monster shirt (in 8th grade!) and those are "cool". But if an 8th grade boy wore them I think it would be different!
I am just going to leave it in his drawer, and if he wants to wear it, we'll have a talk about what to do if you get picked on. My Grandma told me to say "ditto, cabbage head!" or "Ditto, banana nose!" if someone picked on me. But Grandma graduated in 1918, so those might not work now!

Robin M.

 

[Olaf]

I volunteer weekly at DS's school. I'm amazed at how nasty the kids are to each other, and the girls are the worst. I don't remember it being as bad, when I was a child, and it seems to start earlier now.

 

[Marseeya]

I just went through that with my 10 yo DD at the beginning of the school year. She loves princesses and she said that she didn't want to buy any princess clothes because all the kids hate her for her love of princesses. At the last minute, she decided to heck with them all, she was going to enjoy her princesses no matter what they thought!

I'm sorry for your DS. Kids are so cruel.