Would you buy an eight-year-old a coat with real fur trim?

[JustPearlQuail]

My son, who’s 8, has his heart set on a Canada Goose coat with the real fur trim that we found for a good price on ebay for his birthday because all his friends have them and he thinks it’s the coolest thing .. I get the practicality, they’re warm and tough, but I’m really uneasy about the idea of him wearing real fur, especially coyote fur, which I’ve heard can involve pretty cruel trapping methods....

I don’t want to shut him down completely and make it a big fight, but I also don’t want to support something that feels wrong. Has anyone here let their child wear real fur? How did you explain it to them, or how did you steer them toward a faux option without it becoming a battle? He said the faux option looks terrible, which I do agree! Will it survive playground life without getting stolen?

No. And perhaps could explain why.

Delete the anniversary bit, don’t know where that came from!

It might but if it does he will hopefully tell the other children and they won’t want one either

Yes they do

its different because

8 year olds grow quickly
8 year olds play in jackets
8 year olds don’t generally look after things as much as adults
8 year olds are fickle and decide after a month they don’t like an item

I eat meat, it’s ethically reared and I’m happy with that and will continue, it’s an excellent source of nutrition.

Its not a fashion item.

This is one of the dumbest threads I’ve seen here I have to say . I have to wonder if it’s just a wind up. I just don’t believe all his friends have real fur Canada goose jackets . Surely there aren’t a large group of parents with both low morals and also low emotional intelligence to actually agree with an 8 year old saying fake fur looks terrible.

Definitely not

The U.K. just doesn’t get cold enough for Canada Goose (assuming you’re in the U.K.). It looks daft.

In what way is second hand fur ethical?

You're still going to wear that item, advertise fur, and allow people to see that fur is a normal thing to wear.

Just why would you? There are so many alternatives. Wearing fur should be a really weird and unusual thing to do. Second hand doesn't make it OK.

Definitely not! Also, encourage him to be an individual and the best version of himself rather than being a sheep and following the flock!!

The lowest temperature in the UK right now seems to be 13 degrees.
That is not CG coat weather.

At 8 I was writing letters to my MP about the wrongs of the fur trade. Stop babying him and teach him the realities, unless you want to raise a man who is pro animal suffering?

I suspect this post isn’t real however.

Are you planning any trips to very cold places? Otherwise no, he'll get too hot.

Aside from the obvious ethical standpoint, where do you live that an 8 year old needs a thick winter coat in June?

No. Absolutely not.

Do you live in Canada, or the artic? Why is your 8 yo looking at Ebay?

No chance!

Definitely not. My adult children were told quite firmly at an early age that fur is farmed, or on this case the animals are trapped, in a very cruel way. They accepted it readily.

Fake fur and real fur can be hard to differentiate as the fakes have become so good, so i think it's hard to say if what you are looking at is ever real or fake when its something small like a hood trim. Visually fake fur probably creates a similar advertisement. Checks on fake furs in our clothing chains have found some were real and being sold as fake without people having a clue- we are not as great at spotting them as we would like to think - there was an interesting article on the BBC about it www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46212094

I consider the second hand market ethical because you are not creating that retailer demand purchase. the item already exists, it was already sold, the money to the fur traders is long gone and nothing more is going to them regardless of your choice. Do we bin it or use it? Environmentally it is much better for us all when things are reused.

But ethics is a personal moral standpoint and different for each person. It is ok if your ethical is different to mine. For me I think it's more unethical to throw away good items that can be reused and recycled.

Could a local food bank or similar take them? Some do take food and warm clothes too, there is one near me that will give packs of clothes and other bits out to vulnernable families

I wouldn't buy him it purely on the grounds that I am not encouraging an 8 year old to go for expensive clothes on the grounds that they are 'cool'.

That way madness lies. If you start allowing them designer or named brands at this age it will be never ending.

He gets a warm, sensible coat for playing out in at 8 years old. Not what is 'on trend'. Fur or not.

How on earth does an 8 year old even know what a Canada Goose coat is ? My nieces are 8 and their coats are still bought in Tescos etc - I think they have a good one from Regatta which is hard wearing
Your the parent here no 8 year old needs a canada goose coat God help ya when they are teens

Could argue that any real fur product is second hand to begin with because it's not on the animal that it should be attached to

I guess you live in a different world to me OP as I’m struggling to believe this. Maybe there is an alternative universe where people are looking at designer coats on EBay with their 8 year olds when it’s 28 degrees outside.

I think when kids get a grip of a label they don’t really care and neither will the others.
It is about being part of a tribe.
CG - are you sure it’s real?
Not that being ‘real’ is a badge of honour with this brand I’m afraid.
He is a bit young at 8 but then little girls of 8 want luxury skincare….

Aside from the moral issue over fur, the chances are it's going to be fake if buying on eBay.