My 17 year old still doesn't care much.
But then I'm the type who only notices my hair is sticking up all over when I turn on the Zoom camera.

12 yo cares in certain ways but not in the ways I do.
Affirmatively prefers hair that is a long tangled mess.
Works on his muscles but the clothes are ridiculously messy, ripped, whatever.
Showing is non-negotiable as is deodorant.
As a toddler and preschooler, he loved to wear little vests, ties, flashy clothes and would say he looked so sharp. Would out curl cream in his hair, etc. Now it seems his asthetic is like basement dweller grunge chic.
At some point I assume he’ll want to impress a girl and this will change?

8th grade for kid 1. Kid 2 is a young 8th grader (turns 14 this summer) and still doesn't care.

14 here and interestingly it start b/c of pandemic hair. It grew out a little longer and he looks very different. He still goes back into the rabbit hole from time to time on the shower bit.

My 9 year old DS very much cares about his appearance. My 11 year old DS, not so much. If it was for his younger brother, he would care even less. It depends on the person.

Hygiene or appearance?

My boys shower because I make them, but one won't use acne products and I am trying to let it go, because philosophically I think it shouldn't matter. But COME ON.

The oldest started caring about fashion when he went to college. I guess we'll see if the younger brothers ever do.

Probably 14-15 for both of them. That is when they started caring about how their body looked (started working out and eating better) - neither are athletes. Of course they still wear track pants or gym shorts every day but youngest will wear nice sweaters with undershirts . They are getting there.

My son, like DH, has strong feelings about what NOT to wear, which is basically anything that resembles fashion. But he just started doing push-ups and sit-ups at 14 and now he’s showing off his tiny muscles. (He is super slim).

15.5 and we still have to beg him.

My 10yo cares about his hair, which is by nature huge and wild and always messy (like mine). He’s aware of his clothing, but mostly wants to be comfortable. Totally unconcerned about things like showering, so I just have him on a schedule (wash face nightly, shower before bed after every sports practice or sweaty outdoor play). He seemed baffled when I suggested he was seeming a bit less than clean recently after a long day of hiking. In his mind, if the dirt is not super visible....doesn’t really exist

I was going to come here to say, I’m still waiting for it to happen for my 15 year old.

My joke is he will be getting married in track pants because that’s all he wears ever.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Will get back to you when it happens.

- mom to a 16 year old boy whose hygiene has only regressed during remote learning

Same

+1

+2.

I have to turn off the internet to get him to shower.

Anonymous wrote:When I became friends with someone who was a former hairdresser, she offered to cut DS's hair one day. It transformed his LIFE. He all of a sudden saw how good looking he could be and ramped up everything else to match his haircut.

Funnily enough, she told me that she gives every boy who has hair that will tolerate it, the exact same style because it basically looks good on all of them.

Link to a google image!

My son’s 7 and it seems he was born caring. He has a whole morning routing that involves doing his hair with gel, putting on sunscreen, deodorant (he doesn’t need it), and chapstick.

15