Need to vent - how did I create such a shallow child

[pizzaandgin]

Just need to vent

My son was 15, 2 weeks ago and we have just been away for our family holiday. I can't believe how shallow he has become and how obsessed he is with how he looks.

Some examples are 2 days into the holiday he read about how bad the chemicals were in shampoos so he changed shampoo and then spent the next two days in a really bad mood because his hair was not right.

Yesterday we did the mandatory visit to a national trust house, cue bad mood because his white socks were wet (just washed) so rather than wear any other socks he just wore wet socks

Went swimming and we all had to stay away from him so his hair wouldn't get wet. Once he got his hair wet and he was an absolute joy, my gorgeous happy boy.

My husband and I care about what we wear and how we look but my DS takes it to another level, I don't actually know what happened to turn him into this. Can anyone else share stories of ridiculous teenager behaviour and even better please share stories of teenagers growing out of this

Pretty normal teenage behaviour. The whole world exists to serve them alone. They do grow out of it at around 21!

I have four who have also reached this preciousness combined with unreasonableness.

The Harry Enfields character 'Kevin' is laughably accurate.

My DD will be 15 in September and this is pretty normal behaviour.
We took our dog out for a long walk recently and I noticed she was walking funny, like she was walking on her heals. I said, have you got blisters on your toes. My DD said, no mum, I don't want to crease the front of my new trainers.

1. Why are you wearing new trainers on a dog walk.
2. Just crazy behaviour. I keep telling myself, she will grow out of it. My DD is also obsessed with her hair and how she looks. She does have beautiful long hair but all her friends are the same. They are nice girls and I remember being the same.

Quite normal, Op, my son wore damp boxers rather than dry, unstylish ones.
Self obsession is normal at that age.

I remember ds14 cut his head open on a trampoline. It has to be glued and he was told he couldn't wash his hair for 24 hours.

OMG you would have thought the world had ended. He sobbed and sobbed because his hair wasn't perfect.

Normal teenage rubbish im afraid.

@pizzaandgin
tooold nailed it - your son has been infected with "teenism" - more commonly known as "Kevin".

Leave him to his toddler strop, but when he "comes back" for a few mins show him the above clip.

Good luck.

My 14 year old dd is the same. Completely obsessed with her looks. Everything has to be a certain way if not she freaks out. She is forever taking selfies and admiring herself in mirrors. She is becoming a real bore.
For her birthday, in May, I got her some special edition Nike trainers which she won’t wear because when you walk you natural crease shoes and she says creased trainers are horrible. I said I’d sell them if she wouldn’t wear them so she’s now gone and purchased some plastic crease stopper things which she says are really uncomfortable and hurt her feet. She would rather wear these uncomfortable contraptions and walk like Herman Munster (she really looks ridiculous) than have a bloody crease in them.
Teens are actually hilarious.

Oh, and I wore damp recently laundered jeans to collect my GCSE results in 1988.
I'm perfectly normal now...obviously🤣

He’s not shallow at all, he’s a teenager trust me when you have one that dong give a shit what they look like or SMELL like then you will be happy you’ve got him 😂

@JustlookingNotbuying Do you think it's like a 2nd wave of toddlerism...but you can't really pick them up and shove them in the shopping trolley seat with a banana any more...
😂

You have to laugh. When my partner was about this age he got up really late at night to start fixing his hair. His mother shaved it off to stop this vanity. Not suggesting this BTW haha. I wouldn't say he's really vain now but he does tend to veer towards nice expensive things such as golf clothes and gadgets. He's lucky still to have good dark hair in his early 40s too.

I remember taking my niece on holiday along with her boyfriend. Late teens. I kid you not they spent every day looking at themselves in their swimwear and me and DH had to run into our bedroom to laugh. They would jostle to be the one in front and oh the pride and the joy on their faces. Both are lovely people but I think it's the social media age.

They would jostle to be in front of the mirror

Oh god yes! Bought our house a couple of years ago, one bedroom had those 80s mirrored sliding doors for the built in wardrobe.

My idea of hell. DD loves them.

DD spends her time photographing herself against them, making videos in front of them...

I don’t have a teenage child….. but I was a teenager and I have a very clear memory of walking to school in the middle of winter wearing a denim jacket freezing my butt off! I also have a clear memory of my mum saying I’d get cold and rolling her eyes when I said I’d be warmer in be denim jacket and jumper than the nice warm winter coat.…. I’m now a fully functioning adult with a career, a house, friends, and a selection of super warm winter coats (one is even self heating with a little power bank! Super cool! Teenage me would cringe!)

I remember taking my "good Jeans" off the clothes line shoved them on wet to go down the park with my friends , I was 15 😂

I wish mine took more care in how he looked, he dresses like a British tourist. 😂

Helps the Daily Mail cobble together a shit article.

Totally and reassuringly normal at his age