School Uniforms - Pro or Con?

Photo source: Sophia's Style

We live in an area where all schools, public and private, wear uniforms. Although some of the private schools force this, the public schools' uniforms are not a strict policy that you have to purchase through the school or have the school name or emblem embroidered or anything. In fact, it is more of a set of guidelines that you have to follow.  Here are the requirements:

• Shirts must have a collar
• Shirts must be of a specified color, depending on the school
• Shirts cannot have any characters or logos on them of any type.
• Pants/shorts must be of a certain length.
• Belts are required.
• Shirts must be tucked in
• Pants must be of a specified color, depending on the school
• Girls can wear skirts/jumpers/dresses of coordinating color
• No light-up or character shoes.

And the school that Patrick current attends, and Abigail will attend next year, requires gray, navy or white shirts and khaki or navy bottoms.

How do I feel about it?  Some days I love it and others I hate it.

PROS:

• Easy to pick out what to wear the next day
• No peer pressure (or greatly reduced) based on clothing at school
• Uniforms can be found easily at consignment shops or swapped among classmates when outgrown.
• No need to have more than 5 pairs of pants - can wash each week without fear of "wearing the same thing" boredom
• Don't have to buy as many play clothes
• Typically don't worry about them not adhering to length/exposure guidelines of the dress code
• Help identify intruders in the school
• Helps reduce gang affiliation in school, as gangs are often identified by clothing color.
• All pieces match, so you get more outfits out of fewer pieces

CONS

• Still have to buy play clothes because they a.) don't want to wear uniforms after school and b.) they still need clothes for the weekend.
• Cannot express their individuality in their clothes
• Must make sure they are cleaned each weekend because they cannot go to school in anything else

I think overall, I'm for them.  It definitely makes things easier as a parent. But I know they don't get the excitement of picking out that "first day of school" outfit.  Then again, they don't have the pressure of having the "right" clothes either.

So what do you think?  Do your kids wear uniforms?  Did you?