I do not make it a secret that my boys love ties because they do. I got lucky on that front. It is probably a good thing that I enjoy picking out ties because I was blessed with all boys to call me mom and then to make the blessings even greater, they all enjoy wearing ties. I thought something was wrong when they started stealing the ties off daddy’s tie rack to wear to church, but no, they just thought daddy’s ties were cooler.
What is the trick to getting your boys to wear ties without a fuss? Get rid of the fake ties as soon as you humanly can. While hard to find, a real tie is the way to go. Learn to tie the tie as soon as you can. There are multiple ways to tie a tie and you do not have to have a fancy tied tie in order to have a tie tied on a child. The point is, get a real tie and tie it on your child and they will forever be grateful. Why? Those clip on ties are simply uncomfortable.
It is kind of like pantyhose ladies. They are the things that we love to hate and most of us hate them so much we ditched them a long time ago. I do not know when the last time any of you saw me in a pair of stockings was, but I can tell you that I can count on one hand the number of times I have worn them since I have been married most likely. I will be honest, I have lost count. I hate them! The truth be told, clip on ties are just like stockings. Only, worse because while it has become acceptable for ladies to ditch the stockings (or wear alternative forms (because people would not know or care), it has not become acceptable for men, young me, or boys to ditch the ties.
For your littlest boys, the babies, go for the velcro or elastic ties first. Once they are a little bigger, go for the zipper ties. They are marginally better. Notice I said, “marginally” better? That is the honest truth. If they can wear a zippered tie, the chances are that you can find a real tie…almost…
If they are in a regular boys sized clothes, you should be able to find a boy’s sized tie. They make them, so look for them. You can find them. I promise that they exist. They are not that expensive. They range in price. They are usually about half the price of an adult’s tie. When they are on sale, well you are getting the message…
I found that when I switched my boys to a regular tie, they learned to wear them without complaint and they wore them longer without taking them off. They were in control. They learned to articulate to me how they liked their collar and how tight they liked the tie around their neck. Now there was some negotiation in loose necked collars because well, you have to have the top button buttoned, no ifs, ands, or buts. That did not go over as well, but they learned to accept that if they could unbutton it as soon as they got in the car. Problem solved.
They quickly learned to love the tie. They learned that the ties were more the styles and colors they wanted. Lance could have his green tie. Kyle could have a red one. Andrew got a musical instrument one. They could have more variety.
The best part in my opinion is that they learned to tie the ties themselves much sooner than they would have otherwise. By six or seven years old they were telling me that they did not need me to tie their tie for them. Their ties were not perfect, but they could do it themselves. That is a huge step forward for them. It is a skill that prepares them for a lifetime of tie tying ahead of them. I will not be there when they go on their missions so they at least know how to tie their ties.
By the time Kyle reached sixth grade (junior high school), he enjoyed wearing ties so much that he was wearing them to school for the fun of it. He has earned himself the nickname “tie guy” at school. He loves ties. Last Halloween as the costumes were coming out, I found a huge clown tie and I just had to buy it for Kyle. He would find the humor in it. It was perfect for him. He wore it to school with a big goofy grin on his face. He could pull it off just fine!
Andrew regularly dresses up on Fridays at the high school. Lance, Kyle, and Andrew have all chosen to wear a white shirt and tie for their school pictures. Thank you, very much! Yes, you can get good school pictures. Kyle has even worn a bow tie for his school pictures! I love that child.
Alas, I have gotten on a tangent and I digress…
This is how my children dressed to go to church yesterday. At least, here is how two of my children dressed to go to church yesterday. They insisted. This took absolutely no prompting on my part. I just allowed it. There is no resisting their cuteness.
Here is Lance sporting a maroon bow tie. This bow tie was right off his father’s tie rack. It has been around a long time. A little big, but we made it work. He was so proud of that bow tie.
I caught Kyle in the parking lot at the church building, hence the dark glasses (his transition lenses). Here he is sporting a black bow tie. He got this one off Andrew’s tie rack. Andrew had them from orchestra.
Bow ties are cool according to the children.
Of course, the drive home quickly progressed into silly giggles…
I hear from the back seat, “Look mom, I’m a girl. I have a bow.” He was totally being cute with his high pitched girly voice. I look back in the rear view mirror to see his bow tie perched upon his head instead of around his neck.
Of course Kyle, could not miss the opportunity to take the picture for posterity. Thank goodness for iPhones.
Lance was more than willing to cheese it up for the camera. I could not help but laugh. They all thought this was really funny. We laughed all the way home.
I love that they love ties. So if you ever want to know what to get my children for anything and you are at a loss, just find the nearest clearance tie rack. Lance is not particular, he will wear an adult tie even if they are still too big.
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