Independent HS interview clothes

NYMomof2
Tue, 05 Dec 2006 17:22:00 +0000

My 13-year-old son is applying to several independent schools. Interviews are coming up - the first one will be on Thursday - and he is balking at the idea of wearing anything other than his normal attire (shorts and a t-shirt, yes, still - he’ll switch to long pants once it snows). I’ve checked and determined that he should wear long khaki pants and a nice shirt. He has a drawer full of khaki pants from last year, but they all looked too small. I found shirt and pants possibilities on the Gap website and showed him last night, but he argued that he could wear a plain sweatshirt because it was formal! Today I went to the Gap and bought the shirt he’d indicated that he liked and some pants in two sizes (14 regular and slim). He tried the pants on but said that they didn’t fit (they do seem to be cut strangely, very short from waistband to crotch). I told him to put on the best pair of khaki pants he had and show me. He came down wearing a pair with a huge hole in one knee! I told him that he absolutely couldn’t wear them, and he argued that the people at the schools shouldn’t care how kids dressed. He has, so far, refused to go find another pair - he hates changing clothes. He is, truly, baffled about why anyone cares about what anyone else is wearing. He would wear anything as long as it was comfortable, and he resents spending time on clothes. All my arguments about interviews being more formal than daily life, and showing respect for the process, etc., are falling on deaf ears. He does wear a jacket and tie without protest for funerals, Bar Mitzvahs, etc.

Any suggestions? I am very frustrated at the amount of my time this is taking up. I’m leaning toward letting him wear what he wants, and if the consequence is that he doesn’t get in to the school of his choice, let him deal with it. Of course, he won’t know the reason.

Can I still put him up for adoption at age 13?