Your mother made you wear WHAT?

[thikasabrik]

My granny once knitted me the most awful cardigan. The sleeves were a foot too long and she ran out of wool so the front and one sleeve were a different shade. It took her 2 years to complete, by which time I had grown considerably. When fastened up it was so tight I looked like a cross between Richard III and Quasimodo. My mum made me wear it to please gran and it left me traumatised! Has anyone been made to wear anything similarly awful as a child?

[natalie_1982]

My nan used to knit my school cardies, she also made me a delightful (!) jumper with geese on it and a beautiful array of colours including purple, pink, green, yellow, white and black.

My mum made me wear this hideous pea green hooded jogging suit (complete with ski pants that I had to wear the straps outside of my shoe) that had stickmen doing star jumps on the front.  I also had to wear an outfit that comprised of turquoise frilly top and cullottes (?) with yellow, purple and green butterlies on it.  Oh, not forgetting the Bermuda shorts covered in watermelons.  And the shiny purple lycra cycle shorts with belly top covered in lime green stars.

[thikasabrik]

Andy, you've just brought back a long forgotten memory of winters in the early 1960's when I had to wear furry bonnets. Yuk. Natalie, I wonder if your mum was like mine - colour blind when it came to my clothes.

It's a wonder all of us aren't in therapy!!!!

[natalie_1982]

I also had a mullet (sp?).

I had one outfit so bad, that when on holiday at Butlins one year the 'presenter' type blokey on stage thought I;d entered the fancy-dress competition as a clown.  I hadn't.

[oxeyedaisy]

my adopted mothers ...mother used to knit me a jumper with the left over wool from the jumpers she knit her real grand children..they were like the coat of many colours i just used to pull a hole and unravel as fast as possible..she was a wicked old bat ...

[mydogsandme]

Great thread! My mum has much to answer for! She made me wear a little old ladies plastic rain hat and a scarf wrapped round my body and pinned at the back! Also whenever we ate tomato soup (every Saturday as I recall) I had to sit at the table wrapped in a sheet of plastic to save spills (I kid you not). I was supposed to go to secondary school when I was 11 in a woolly hat with a bobble on the top. Is it any wonder I turned out as I did??

[gazzawazza]

Great answers!  I'm nearly 43 and it's only a few years ago when all the family were having a laugh together about stuff we used to wear that I found this out; my sisters took great pleasure in pointing out that until I started school I used to wear (wait for it) their cast me down knickers!!!  Our mam nearly wet herself laughing at the memory of me complaining that I didn't like my new undies coz they had a funny bit at the front, and my mam telling that that was what all the big boys at school would be wearing!

I also remember my mam making me wear (I've never ever heard of these garments since) a liberty bodice???  It was like a really thick vest but it seemed to have straps or something!   

She said that as it was winter everybody would be wearing them to keep warm but I hated it and after one day in it I absolutely refused to wear it and it mysteriously disappeared.  I think someone must have buried it down the beck or something...

[thikasabrik]

Perhaps posting this thread wasn't too wise when I have 2 broken ribs as you've all made me laugh out loud and it hurts!!!!

[Ouisch]

I don't know if it's the same in the UK, but in the US when young Catholic girls make their First Communion (usually around age seven), they attend a special Mass and have to wear a fancy white gown and a veil.  It pretty much looks like a miniature wedding dress.  Anyway, my mom made me wear my Communion dress to school one day, because, by golly, she spent a lot of money on it and I was going to get more than one wearing out of it! 

[ems27]

going to a birthday disco when i was at the delicate age of 11. I pleaded with my mum to let me wear my oh so stylish dungarees and paisley shirt but she refused saying that nobody wears denim to a party. So she dressed me in black satin puff ball skirt, shinny black shoes, sparkly silver ankle soaks decorated with black bows, a white blouse (not shirt) with broach and teamed this with a pink fluffy cardigan with shoulder pads so big they restricted my movement. As if this wasn't bad enough i was made to bring my little sister who was dressed in exactly the same outfit. i spent the entire evening hiding in a corner and didn't even dance to MC Hammer.

[natalie_1982]

Oh my God, I had almost forgotten about my "Don't you want to look like Rupert Bear?" trousers, that I used to try desparately to hide from her complete with red tank top.  The trousers were hideous, they were checked (just like Rupert Bear's!) yellow, red and green. Thikasabrik, I think you're right either my mum was colour blind or just hated me!

Talking of bear's, I had a duffle coat like Paddington too.  What was she trying to do to me?!

[natalie_1982]

ems27, count yourself lucky!  At my best friend's 7th birthday party my mum thought she'd try and 'be cool' .... actually I have no idea what she thought she was trying to be ....... but she dressed me in white cycling shorts and a grey T-shirt (from B-Wise no less) with Ladybird trainers.  The party was recorded on video tape and is regularly replayed, to my horror, so I can watch dozens of other 8 year old girls in party dresses and frilly frocks with shiny shoes whilst I sat in my jogging outfit.  Thanks mum.

[ursula62]

I was at junior school in the late sixties - the time of mini skirts. We had no school uniform.

In the winter, my mother made my sister and I wear old lady style long john type knickers (almost down the to the knees) under our school skirts so that we didn't get chapped legs....

not so bad you think?

They were pattered in harlequin style diamonds in very bright colours.

I took mine off in the loos as soon as I got to school but one of the boys who had followed us up the hill to school stole them from my schoolbag and gave them to the lost property dinner lady. She held them up in front of the whole junior school and asked if anyone had lost them. I never forgave my mum for that one.

[smudge]

When I was little, my dear Mum used to 'make' me wear a woolly hat to school to keep my ears warm. I used to kick up such a stink about not wanting to look silly - but I eventually gave in just to keep her happy. Little did she know that the minute I was round the corner, I took it off & stuffed it in my coat pocket.

I'm sorry Mum! 

[smudge]

P.S. For all you 'older' girls out there - do you remember the embarrassment of having to wear rags in your hair, to make beautiful ringlets? Thanks again Mum!

[indian]

I used to be made to wear a jumper under big frilly dresses complete with tights- in the summer. I look at kids now-a-days and they're more stylish than me, I'm only 23.

[FP]

  I can remember wearing those awful liberty bodices with rubber buttons with a horrible vest underneath.  And navy blue knickers with a pocket for my hankie.  Great when having to get your hanky out to blow your nose - very elegant.

And Andy, those awful dark blue gabardine macs with hoods.  I also had to wear a horrible blue felt velour  and a gym slip with a square neck - turned me off school/uniforms for ever.

And long grey socks with garters made from elastic.

Worse of all though, in the days when everybody wore swimming caps to go to the swimming pool my mum made me wear a shower cap!

[crisgal]

i used to spend weekends at my nan's - sleeping in brushed nylon sheets, covered by an acrylic "waffle weave" blanket.

As if that wasn't bad enough, my mum bought me a pair of brushed nylon pyjamas - to keep at my nan's!

[RevShirls]

Thikasabrik, I laughed so much at this posting and lots of the answers too. I had similar experiences. My Mum always went for practical rather than fashionable. I remember wearing lots of hideous things. I thought she was getting better when � told her that I wanted a bunnet like Donny Osmond (black and velvet, I remember). She said she thought I would suit that and then I nearly died when she said she had started to crochet one for me. It was truly hideous - wide crochet holes, bright orange with sparkly silver wool through it. My friends nearly wet themselves laughing and I must admit I was laughing too. In fact, it was my ability to laugh at all these things that helped to me to survive.

Another bad memory is when I was 11. My Mum thought my school bag was too heavy for me and came home one day with a bag for me. It was like one of these shopping bags with wheels but without the frame. She got mad when I said "No way!" and frog-marched me out of the door with it. In fact, my friends and I had great fun with it. We used to take turns to sit inside it and roll down a hill on the way to school.

This reminds me of Billy Connolly too. He once said that if Martians ever invaded Scotland they would think the Scots were seals - with all the kids heading off to school with grey balaclavas, grey duffelcoats and these wooly mitts that are attached with string through the sleeves. hilarious!

[FP]

My mum is still at it and I am 58.   Last year she offered to buy me a lovely sage green leisure suit out of the Damart catalogue - you know the sort I mean - little bits of embroidery round the neck and on the pocket - and was really uptight when I told her I really didn't think it was my cup of tea.

RevShirls - I will now always think of you in a wheeled shopper racing down hills!!

This thread is great; brought back so many memories and had loads of laughs.  Thanks thikasabrik.