To let DS wear nail polish despite his dads views

[Cffee]

9 year old DS has always loved handbags, necklaces accessories that sort of thing and I've always just let him do whatever he wants in that regard because why not.
he wanted his nails painted so I let him and this morning his dad came to pick him up, grabbed his hands pulled a face and went " Eurgh what have you done to your nails?" And was pretty clear in his disapproval. He did this recently too with a bead necklace DS had on and said i was making him "girly" (nothing wrong with being girly at all, but he's not even typically 'girly' or feminine, he just likes what he likes)
ex has turned into a right Jordan Peterson, Andrew Tate worshipping type of person since we broke up and I don't want him being mean to DS
I have always brought him up with the view that things are for everyone and aren't gender specific but I don't want his dad making him feel bad about himself.

I'm glad DS dad is now your ex! He sounds an absolute dick! Let your son carry on. If he wants to wear bracelets & paint his nails, who are we to say no? Doesn't mean he's gay/trans/fluid/other, he just wants to be adventurous. Men, drive me mad 🤦🏼

My nearly 18yr old son has always liked having his nails done and recently he's started having gel nails because they last better. He's made some wild colour choices over time and is currently sporting a dark glittery purple. He's a bit of a goth just like his mam 😍 Neither me, nor my husband, have ever been bothered and I find people who are bothered quite odd tbh. No-one has ever said anything to any of our faces about it.

There once was a Subreddit called MalePolish that was dedicated to men that liked printing their nails.

Goths and rockers have painted theirs for years.

@bubblescoop if you were bringing children up in segregation era USA and one of your kids wanted to play with a non white child and your husband disapproved, would you make your kid turn their back on that child? It sounds that way…

Change only happens because people refuse to be pushed around by conformist idiots.

Children in nail varnish isn’t something I would encourage. To me it’s make up and fine for playing dress up but not for under 15s

The thing that annoys me about attitudes like your ex-H's is that if he had a little 9 year old girl who got obsessed with cars and learning how to use traditionally male mechanic's tools he'd probably be proud as punch.

Let people explore whatever they're interested in regardless of their sex.

Christ on a bike.... I've never read such nonsense. Jordan Peterson's book would do your son a favour by the sounds of it.

Let me be the one to talk sense in this thread. Why are you encouraging feminine behaviour because you're selfishly disappointed that your son wasn't born a girl? A 9-year-old doesn't know about sex, because they haven't hit puberty. Am I only one here who grew up in the 90s?? There's a difference between a child being childish, playful and slightly girly to encouraging feminine behaviour.
You could just tell him, "listen son, you really should stop playing with handbags and necklaces now that you're older, what other boys at school have you seen painting their nails?" Sounds like your son has no self-awareness and you're basically putting a target on his back for bullying.

Every boy in the world played with a ken and barbie doll at their friends house who was a girl because they had no other option, but like everything...eventutally they grew out of it and either they played action man or they played house or a different game. Let boys be boys and girls be girls. Don't make excuses for behaviour that you know damn well should be addressed. What is wrong with people.

Tell me you have a micro penis, without telling you have a micro penis.

🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️ 🧟

"Ah, the tragic case of the emasculated father and his effeminate son. It appears that the mother in this scenario is attempting to project her misguided sense of social justice onto her young and impressionable child, indoctrinating him with a feminist ideology that seeks to eradicate all distinctions between the sexes.
It is well-known among those who have not been blinded by the Marxist dogma of the modern academy that men and women possess innate differences that are essential to their respective roles in society. By indulging her son’s whimsical desires to adorn himself with feminine trinkets, the mother is not only undermining his natural inclinations towards masculinity but is also setting him up for a life of confusion and misdirection.
The father, on the other hand, is to be commended for his courageous stance against the forces of gender neutrality and political correctness that seek to erode the foundations of our society. He is merely fulfilling his role as a protector and mentor to his son, guiding him towards the path of traditional masculinity that has stood the test of time.
In conclusion, it is imperative that the mother cease her harmful and misguided attempts to blur the lines between the sexes and allow her son to develop into a well-rounded and masculine individual. The father should be supported in his efforts to instil the values of strength, courage, and self-discipline in his young son, and the boy should be encouraged to embrace his innate masculine identity without fear of social ostracism or ridicule."

This was Jordan Peterson's AI answer to your question. I think I rest my case.

Nope. I Wouldn't paint my son's nails. I wouldn't do it for a daughter either.

It's not like it's unavoidable. Or particularly fun.

On a man, it's not a look that I like. On a child, it's not a look that I like on his/hers parents.

A fair comparison to this would be OP's son deep- cleaning the house with his favourite house-keeping tools and perfecting the latest air-fryer recipes.

It's all bangles and glittery polish instead.. 🙄

Let your son be himself. Many eras and cultures have encouraged colours and a peacock like display in males. Here and now has been dull and restrictive for too long. Fortunately each generation has had those who refuse to conform to the current norm and it seems that our new younglings seem even freerer to express themselves. Your ex is a narrow minded peerson.