Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Is it alright for my teenage sons to only wear shorts in front of us?

155 replies

Lisa2019GB · 03/10/2019 21:02

Hi all. I have two sons in their late teens. In the evening after they come home and shower they will watch TV in the living room with just their shorts on - no socks or t-shirt. Sometimes they will fall asleep and I throw a blanket over them. I never thought anything of it, why should I? Anyhow, a friend of mine was visiting recently and commented about it, saying that they should be fully clothed in the house and it's not normal behavior.

My husband doesn't have an issue with it either, he simply says we are family so it doesn't matter it's not like they are naked, but I wanted to get some outside opinions about it from other parents out there as I don't really see the issue personally.

I have have a close relationship with my boys and wouldn't want to make things unnecessarily awkward.

All views appreciated!

Thank you :)

OP posts:
ilovetofu · 03/10/2019 22:30

Your friend is very odd.

doublebarrellednurse · 03/10/2019 22:32

Gosh imagine being lax in your own home eh?

If you figure out how to convince them to put on clothes OP let me know 😂

I'd rather he was comfy in his own home than worry about raising the eyebrows of someone who popped in. They'll live.

WhatTiggersDoBest · 03/10/2019 22:33

@WhimToo how many times does OP have to say they were wearing SHORTS not underwear?! RTFT! Hmm

Original poster
Lisa2019GB · 03/10/2019 22:34

My guess is this is the first time she has noticed that your DCs aren't little boys anymore but young men and she's a bit taken aback.

It's not as if she hasn't seen a grown man's body before. Like someone else said, it's no different to what you see on the beach or at a swimming pool. After reading everyone's comments it seems that it is perfectly normal and even if I saw this in a friend's house, it wouldn't cross my mind as abnormal.

OP posts:
BlockedandDeleted · 03/10/2019 22:34

The only not normal behaviour here is a guest passing comment on how you and your family use your own home.

Boo to her.

Rubicon80 · 03/10/2019 22:35

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

ilovetofu · 03/10/2019 22:37

Well we are quite relaxed with nakedness in this house. One of my DS's friends told him he'd never seen his mum's boobs.
He's 9. I find that quite odd!
The same friend is always going on about people kissing and having sex as well. It's a bit of an obsession. Where my son just doesn't really mention sex etc in general & just rolls his eyes when his friend starts banging on about it all 🤷‍♀️

Original poster
Lisa2019GB · 03/10/2019 22:39

@Rubicon80 What makes you entitled to ask that with such interrogation and boldness? I was looking for somewhere to ask this and Mumsnet came to mind, which I thought is the most relevant place to get opinions and advice on this. It's not something I feel comfortable discussing with other friends, so is this a problem for you then?

OP posts:
ilovetofu · 03/10/2019 22:40

Ah don't worry about it op. There's always someone being suspicious of why people ask anything on here these days!

EmilyJohnson19 · 03/10/2019 22:40

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Frazzled2207 · 03/10/2019 22:40

I think it's fine though if guests were round I'd be encouraging a tshirt! I'd mostly be worried about them being cold.

Dressing gown on top of shorts would be entirely normal In this house (clearly colder than yours!)

Rubicon80 · 03/10/2019 22:41

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
Lisa2019GB · 03/10/2019 22:41

The same friend is always going on about people kissing and having sex as well. It's a bit of an obsession. Where my son just doesn't really mention sex etc in general & just rolls his eyes when his friend starts banging on about it all 🤷‍♀️

That must be a difficult situation but me and partner have been quite lucky. I took a softer approach as I feel like if you enforce boundaries as well as the facts it provokes them to be reckless. But that's just my take on it.

OP posts:
ilovetofu · 03/10/2019 22:41

DH is always marching round the house naked too. But he does put clothes on when we have guests 🤣

ilovetofu · 03/10/2019 22:43

if you enforce boundaries as well as the facts it provokes them to be reckless. But that's just my take on it.

What do you mean op?

Rubicon80 · 03/10/2019 22:44

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
Lisa2019GB · 03/10/2019 22:44

@Rubicon80 Because I know what it is, but I've never felt the need to use it until now. I am getting quite bored of explaining myself to you. There's nothing here for you if you don't want to join in the discussion.

OP posts:
Belgianbuns · 03/10/2019 22:44

Your friend is the weird one! Your boys are perfectly normal and so are you? My boys 20 and 23 do the same

Rubicon80 · 03/10/2019 22:46

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
Lisa2019GB · 03/10/2019 22:46

@ilovetofu What I mean is that making sure they are educated about safe sex etc. is important but some parents I've seen make a big issue out of it when they get to the teenage years and it could provoke a rebellious response especially from boys. I never needed to do this, although I might have just been lucky for them to turn out sensible.

OP posts:
MNHQ
ClaraMumsnet · 03/10/2019 22:47

Hello all, can we please stop trollhunting? It's against our Talk Guidelines. If you have concerns, please report them directly to us. Sorry to barge into your thread, OP.

Original poster
Lisa2019GB · 03/10/2019 22:48

@Rubicon80 Taking a look around the site, I don't see any particular rule or etiquette about needing to have a previous history of problems taken to Mumsnet in order to seek advice on one issue that you don't wish to discuss in person. If this is such a problem for you, then why come on here?

OP posts:
Rubicon80 · 03/10/2019 22:51

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad · 03/10/2019 22:52

Be grateful that your boys are so close that they can hang out together in such a lovely way. I long for that for my boys who can barely speak to one another.

Take no notice of your friend - she is a fool.

Scratchyfluffface · 03/10/2019 22:52

What a ridiculous comment from your friend, why does it even matter? Ok I get a little uptight when DP does the gardening in his pants but even that isn't the end of the world!