AIBU to refuse to let 11 yo DS wear Lynx?

[AthenaAshton]

He is desperate for a can of the stuff because "all the boys in my class have it".

For one thing, I suspect that's not true. But even if it were:

1. I don't want him wearing any kind of product that he might inhale (he's daft enough to spray it on copiously in a confined space).

1. I don't think any child of that age needs anti-perspirants of any description.

1. I don't want him to smell like particularly bad loo cleaner.

1. If all the boys in his class jumped off the roof of a building, would he have to do it too?

He thinks I'm unspeakably paranoid and ridiculous for suggesting that he will die either of Lynx inhalation or cancer caused by toxins from spray-on anti-perspirants. Happily, all his pocket money is confiscated for the next month so there is no risk of him buying it off his own bat.

But AIBU?

DD1 has started using a lot of spray on, recently. I have to say, I am concerned about the effect of inhalation of the fumes..... on her hamster.

My 9 year old uses it for goodness sake. It's perfectly normal for him to want to smell nice, it's a relief actually because I was worried he would not wash and stink of BO! YABVU.

yabvu - poor lad.

My brother did some graffiti on his door using a can of Lynx when he was 13. Lots of inhalation and he's still here (for me) to tell the tale.

My dh still uses Lynx. I don't think it smells too bad! (Or maybe I'm still a teenager at heart)

YABU. It is pretty harmless stuff. If he wants some just get it. I honestly can't see the problem here.

I'm not entirely convinced the tracksuit comment was about you associating Lynx with 'sporty'.

But anyway YABU, he's old enough to have his own opinions and choices. You seen a little over controlling, his wanting Lynx is just the start of his breaking into independance!

Allowing him to do something just because his friends are doing it would be wholly inappropriate.

Not allowing him to do something just because his friends are doing it seems equally inappropriate.

My mother used the "jump off the roof"/"don't be like sheep" argument to keep me off deoderants (and hygiene in general) until I was an adult. Looking back, I do not think this was a good idea.

The problem is that the roof argument does not in itself determine whether a thing is good or bad.

It could equally be used to stop him from keeping clean at all ("you want to shower every day like your friends- would you jump off the roof?"). Or from anything else good or useful.

The truth is that we all need to conform to some extent and we all need to know when not to conform.

Goodness me there are far more carcinogenic chemicals in every day stuff than in letting your child use lynx

Let him use it, let him fit in, let him choose his own personal habits

You associate Links with sporty types OP. Really?

Poor little thing asks his mum's help to stop him stinking and your reaction is: he's too stupid to use it properly and he wants to be like all the tracksuit wearing boys in his school.

Yabvu

Don't be surprised if very soon he stops asking your opinion on anything.

I doubt the tracksuit comment was anything to do with sporty people....

Precisely Hobnob. The OP's comment on that sounded like a very quick thinking bit of back tracking to me.

I can sympathise with your son. When I started secondary school I was desperate for the spray on deodorant Natrel Plus. Everyone else was using it after sports and i wanted to be like everyone else. My mum said no cos I was too young. She bought me a can for xmas and i was thrilled. So get him a can. Just explain to him about how it is important to use it in a ventilated room and not to wear too much.

Does your dp/dh use any deodorants OP?

YANBU - Lynx stinks. Triggers a coughing fit for me. Horrid stuff. Plus not really an anti perspirant I think?

However YABU to not let him use spray stuff. For men there isn't much of choice and he really needs to start using something. Can you let him use something else like Adidas?

Pigs you could almost smell the backpeddling

at the risk of sounding repetitive - YABVU

YABVU. And your comment about tracksuits had nothing to do with sporty types, admit it.

How rare, everyone on AIBU disagrees with the op and she's disappeared.

Ahhh, don't be mean WaitMonkey - she's obviously at Boots, stocking up on Lynx

she is off t tescos to get some Lynx africa poor woman will be choking in fumes by teatime

YANBU apart from point 2.

My 11 yr old DS needs deodorant (especially as he gets very sweaty playing lots of sport). But he is asthmatic, as is DS2 and as am I, so I don't let him use spray deodorants (they make us all wheeze). He uses Dove roll on. Apparently Dove for Men sponsors the rugby and so is "cool". Either way it doesn't smell too strongly but masks the smell of 11 year old boy, so I'm happy.

We have banned aerosols in my school.

Eau-de-Teenage Boy used to smell like Lynx, fags and sweat, with the occasional fart. I now realise how grateful I was for Lynx.

YABU My ds and all his mates have lynx. They are 12. It's a rite of passage.

I love the smell of Lynx don't understand the hatred of it

I use Lynx Attract For Her (smells like the old Impulse New York, which I absolutely loved), but sometimes I'll be cheeky and use Lynx Apollo because it's my favourite. Not keen on Africa