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And again, we'll agree to disagree.
Let me ask you this, refnrev: I don't know if you do high school games or not but let's say you do and the NFHS mandate is that high school players shinguards are to be no higher than 2" above their ankles. Do you force them to pull them down if they are higher? If so, how do you regulate that throughout the game? Do you constantly check the players to make sure the guards don't "rise up", "shift", or that the players haven't manually raised them on their own and retaped them that way? My opinion is that it's impossible.
Here is what I do, and you can disagree with me if you want. Prior to the game, I will check all players shinguards to make sure they are legal. If I notice they are too high on their shins, I'll tell them that and ask that the lower them. However, after that I tell them that, from here on out, they are on their own. They can choose to do what they want with them, but I, and the other officials, are no longer responsible for any injury that may occur to them. That way, I can't be sued for the injury because I had already asked them to lower the guard.
The same thing should apply for the situation with the kids. You can explain that they way they are wearing them is not appropriate and it should end there. If you have to constantly keep a player off the pitch due to something like that, you're not doing the game any justice.
One more time, feel free to disagree, but it's the way of the world these days in soccer.
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