Brother criticizing how I dress DS

[Anonymous]

It's mostly preppy stuff. DS is 4 and couldn't care less what he looks like. I don't put him in anything with words, cartoon characters, pictures of sports or transportation, and very few animals. I figure at some point DS will care about his clothes and voice opinions, but until then, I may as well dress him how I like. My brother is visiting (arrived today, for a long weekend) and can't stop talking about how DS looks stupid, must get beat up daily at preschool, will get beat up when he goes to elementary school, looks like a pansy, a wimp, on and on.

He's not dressed like Little Lord Fauntleroy, or wearing bow ties or anything like that. My brother has very narrow ideas on gender. How can I shut this talk down so I don't have to listen to him for the next four days, and he doesn't give DS a complex? I've already told my brother DS gets compliments on his looks and he suggested they came from losers.

[Anonymous]

Tell if he keeps it up he can hit the road.

[Anonymous]

Your brother sounds like a jerk. He really used the word pansy?
Having said that yes you can dress your kid how you like, but what do you have against shirts with animals on? Boden has some lovely animal appliqué shirts.

[Anonymous]

Your job as a parent is to tell your brother off right now before it balloons into something that might rub off on your children in the future. You might have another son, or a daughter, later on. You won't want any of them to be infected with such moronic judgment.

Also, you will also want to monitor their future interactions carefully. I don't expect your brother to become a tolerant and open-minded person any time soon.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like both of you are rigid about how you think your kid should dress.

[Anonymous]

Tell your brother he is being a jerk and it’s incredibly rude. He is 4! I put my son in little polo shirts and khaki shorts and adorable button downs at that age. He’s heading to middle school and now wears exclusively athletic gear. Enjoy it while he doesn’t have an opinion because in K he will likely start wanting to wear the hideous clothes all the other boys have on. And if you’re like me, you’ll give in because I had no interest in forcing my idea of style on him once he developed his own.

[Anonymous]

Honestly. I would say exactly this: STFU and stop being an A@@hole.

If that's too much I'm sure you can find nicer words to use.

[Anonymous]

As someone who does dress her son almost exclusively in play clothes with words and trucks and dinosaurs: tell your brother he can shut up or find somewhere else to stay. You’ve said you’ll respect your son’s dress sense when he develops one and that’s all that matters; for now it’s up to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your brother sounds like a jerk. He really used the word pansy?
Having said that yes you can dress your kid how you like, but what do you have against shirts with animals on? Boden has some lovely animal appliqué shirts.

He used that word and another word that starts with an F. He thinks real men don't wear pink, or nail polish, etc. One of those guys.

[Anonymous]

Agree with others - tell him he can cut it out or leave.

[Anonymous]

Your brother is a bigot. Tell him to
Leave and don’t invite him back. Why on earth do you want to spend time with this person?

[Anonymous]

Ah, that toxic masculinity -- don't let it near your son.

[Anonymous]

He probably just feels about your son’s clothes how you feel about boys wearing shirts with dinosaurs or Mario on them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He probably just feels about your son’s clothes how you feel about boys wearing shirts with dinosaurs or Mario on them.

Except that no one is their right mind would speak up about that, he is. Moron.

[Anonymous]

Invite him to leave.