At first you tried to take their point of view and do a little self examination. You admit that you have been known to jump the gun on occasion. But you also are very good at analyzing and making the necessary course correction.

But upon review it is clear that the fault is not yours. The bottom line is your dating partner’s friends are rude towards you and at times it turns into downright nastiness.

What gives? You have always tried to be civil. You’re not a control freak. It’s not like you got among his friends and tried to dominate the conversation or the activities. You go along with what the crowd wants to do. You are also a pretty good listener.

And what you are hearing in no uncertain terms is your date’s friends do not like you. The question is why?

1. New Kid in Town

You are not one of the gang. You never said you were. Neither did they nor do they want you to be. This is a closed group and membership is by voice vote and unanimous invitation only. They tolerate you because that’s how strongly they feel about their friend who happens to be your dating partner. Other than that you don’t belong.

2. Just One of Those Things

Call it personality clash or just a bad first impression but whatever it was there is no going back to repair it. They have made their ruling and the verdict is you are unlikable. Maybe that decision will change somewhere down the line but for right now that’s the way it goes. 

3. Previous Rotten

They tried to give the benefit of the doubt to some of your date’s former partners. It didn’t work. Not only was the person nasty and combative towards them but they watched as that same person wound up breaking your date’s heart. Now it’s totally unfair but due to those past relationships they have already prejudged you.

4. The Takeaway

They don’t see you as someone there to join the group. They see you as someone there to take their friend away. You and your date do not always go out with the group (nor should you) and in their eyes that means a member of the family is leaving home. They want no parts of that so they resent whoever is the culprit.

Even if you made a public announcement stating how important you feel it is for your date to maintain his or her friendships; that won’t cut it. You are not only an interloper but a thief as well.

Sometimes the hardest part of dating relationships is not the one on one encounter of two people or even meeting each other’s families. It’s the friend circle. They can make it rough for their buddy to stay in any relationship.

Worst still is they shield your date from the scorn they heap on you with extreme pleasure. It’s very destructive behavior to the point that you have to ask yourself is the whole relationship worth it?

Standard attire is not school uniform. Although the two are often confused, standard attire does not constitute a uniform. Instead the standardization outlines kinds and colors of clothes to be worn by students in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The district will not provide the clothes nor tell parents which specific items or brands to buy.

Standard Attire in Nashville Schools- What does it Entail?

Standard attire will consist of blue, black or khaki slacks, shorts, or skirt and a white or navy blue collared shirt. The mandated attire is intended to give students a clean and professional look. Certain Nashville Schools have elected to add other color shirts which are allowed (up to 4 additional) by the school board.

In addition to color and kind, standard attire also addresses style in the following ways. All shirts are to be tucked in. Although not explicitly stated in the policy, tucked in shirts which give a neater look, might be a deterrent during fights. The loose tail of a shirt is often used to grab a student during a fist fight. In addition, pants can not be worn in a loose or saggy manner. This is done to combat the “gang” look of a lot of young men today.

There is some wiggle room in the new standards of attire of Nashville Schools. As noted above, schools can endorse other color shirts including the school’s colors. School logos are permitted as well. In addition, the standard attire of Nashville Schools can be suspended temporarily for things like spirit week when students may dress up for “retro day” or “cowboy day” or “mythology day” or the like.

Nashville Schools has also established a waiver process. Students can get a waiver out of standard attire for various reasons. If religious practice requires a different style of dress such as a burka or headdress, this can be permitted. Waivers are also allowed for medical reasons or special education needs.

Standard Attire in Nashville Schools- Will it Solve Anything?

Nashville Schools, like the schools in most cities, have been plagued by a number of issues in recent years that have led to difficulties in the classrooms. Instituting standard attire is one step that Nashville Schools hope will cut down on gang violence and socio-economic stress that is often played out in the clothes that students wear. It’s a good step forward towards addressing the city’s problems, but let’s just hope that the powers that be in Nashville Schools see it as just one small step in a line of others that will boost performance in the educational system.