AIBU to let my 12 year old son wear a dinosaur tshirt

[Italianmeringuebuttercream]

My dh thinks I shouldn't be buying him any more jurassic park t-shirts. Reckons he'd get bullied. I asked what he should be wearing then? Fred Perry or something similar he suggested. To be clear, ds chose the t-shirt, I didn't just get it. What do you think? I said if he thinks ds would get bullied then perhaps he was the sort of child who would have done the bullying! I guess I'm asking AIBU in allowing ds to wear what he wants and not what others expect?

i have a just turned 13 year old, fred perry is not cool apparently but jurassic world is 😆
let your ds wear whatever he's happy with

I find it a bit baffling that he thinks your son would be bullied for a Jurassic Park T-shirt tbh, it's not a kids film. Adults wear T-shirt's with film logos on them all the time, it's not exactly Peppa Pig, is it.

That said, my partner is always saying he thinks he should get his son designer trainers because he got bullied for not having them at school, and I just don't get it at all, because unless you looked particularly shabby, brands of shoes just wouldn't have been something kids would have been picked on for at my school.

It could also be a regional or generational thing, but I do suspect boys/men might have more of a fascination with brands because there is generally less variety of what they could wear so this is how they rank style 🤷‍♀️

Either way, if your son was being picked on chances are he himself would stop wanting to wear them.

It doesn't matter what your DH (or you) think. If he wants to wear it, then he should wear it. He's twelve, not 2.

If a dinosaur t-shirt "causes" a child to be bullied, then the t-shirt really isn't the problem.

I must admit I was a bit worried that DD aged 6 wanted a Peppa Pig coat for school - I inwardly fretted that her peers might think she was babyish. But she wanted it, she likes it, and it is all my worries not hers.

@IHaveBrilloHair amazing!!! Please tell me where I can get some...I think my Dino obsessed 3 year old would love me to wear Dino converse

I think it depends entirely on the school that your ds goes to. In some schools brands are everything and it’s not always the people with money that are wearing them. A lot of poorer children desperately want to fit in with the cool kids and see an expensive item of clothing as a way to do this.

If your ds is happy to wear it then I would let him he may in time decide he wants expensive brands but I wouldn’t force it. Enjoy it while you can I say.

@dinosareforever.
John Lewis online

Another one for letting him wear it. I think your DHs idea of what's cool is a bit outdated tbh, maybe brand names used to be a thing but it seems (in my DS year at least) that cool is all about personal expression and individuality. Fandom tshirts showing what you're into seem to be a good way of doing it.
Brands are seen as a bit lame

My daughter is 15 and still wears slogan T-shirt’s and has a couple with dinosaurs on. Let him wear what he wants.

My son is 15 and definitely would have worn dinosaurs at 13. Let them wear what they like I dont know why people try and make kids grow up!

I have an amazing T shirt covered in Dinos with the phrase 'dinosaurs rock' across the front.
They do and I'm 45.

As long as your DS likes it that should be all that matters. I think your DHs reaction comes from a good place though, maybe he knew of someone bullied for wearing the wrong thing and doesn't want that for your DS?

Your ds will tell you when he doesn’t want to wear character T-shirts.
My ds is nearly 12 and has only just become aware of any type of fashion( he matches T-shirt to shorts, looks like he’s in pjs!) He just told me he wants plain T-shirts

Let him wear what he wants, your dh sounds shallow with his particular labels. Maybe he thinks it looks like he has money Let your son be an individual rather than a sheeple, it will stand him in good stead for future choices.

Fred Perry. 😂😂 my 11 yo dd has never heard of that. It’s all about the Nike, Adidas, fila etc suddenly unfortunately with her. The t shirt sounds fine.

Let him be!
My 25yo daughter is still mad about dinosaurs and her boyfriend bought her a ridiculously expensive dinosaur swimming costume for her birthday which she adores.

Tell your husband to wind his neck in, especially if he wears football shirts of any following! 😂

I've always thought of Fred Perry as football hooligan attire

Nobody has told my son about not wearing dinosaur tee shirts. He will not be pleased if he finds out he is not supposed to.

Jurassic Park is absolutely fine. It's a film, plenty of kids/teens wear that sort of thing. My son wears things like it, or t shirts with gaming characters on.

(Haven't thought about Fred Perry clothing since school!)

I'm past my 30s but I'd still wear a dinosaur t-shirt

But I do vaguely get where the OP's DH is coming from

Although it's just rubbish that kids cannot wear whatever they like without fear of being bullied or needing to conform

Isn't Fred Perry stuff not that cool anymore? Or am I behind the times?

@Vulpine

Yes Fred Perry and football hooligans/beered up footy fans!

There are grown men and women that were dinosaur t-shirts and they don't seem to get bullied so why the hell would a child be bullied for wearing one!?

Because immature preteens and teens are far more likely to bully each other than full grown adults?

And if NEXT is anything to go by he won't be the only 12 year old wearing dinosaurs

To be fair next so offer a lot of baby type clothes for older teens that are always marked down in the sales. I wouldn’t go by there marketing!

That said DD16 has a dinosaur T-shirt she loves wearing. I think it’s the fashion at the moment.

Let him wear what he likes.