Does your son wear jewelry?

[mjkacmom]

Ideally, I'd take my son and his friend shopping somewhere that they sell boy accessories and see if there is something there. Like those leather thongs or whatever.

This sounds like a great idea! I've never seen a boy wear a bff necklace - it's really a girl thing (like holding hands, dotting i's with a heart...). Girls tend to couple, boys tend to pack. I do like the idea of them both having the same item, though.

 

[Banzai]

I wore rock ones from about 13-15 or so, but that stopped being "cool" so I stopped, haha. I would like a nice Tiffany necklace, though.

 

[Lauralee]

Of my two sons, only my youngest wore a necklace for a while. It was a simple leather string with a puka (sp) shell that his sister brought him from Hawaii.

Talk to your son and explain how some boys don't really like to wear necklaces. Let him think it over. If he is uncertain what his friend would do, suggest that maybe you take the soccer ball charms off the chains and string them onto short leather strings...maybe use it on the zipper pull of his sports duffle bag?

 

[kirbsam]

if an eight year old boy gave me a necklace when i was 8, my dad would have kicked my butt. and probably made me stop hanging around that dude.

 

[BRDof3]

if an eight year old boy gave me a necklace when i was 8, my dad would have kicked my butt. and probably made me stop hanging around that dude.

What a beautiful sentiment to pass on to the next generation. "Son, nothing tells someone you love them better than kicking their butt."

 

[DawnM]

My kids (boys) all wanted their own Chinese astrology character necklace. It hangs on a black leather string.

Why should it matter?

We have several male friends who wear some sort of jewelry....not gawdy bling, but tasteful stuff.

My husband wears a wedding ring!

Dawn

 

[rszdtrvl]

My 14 year old wears a Phiten necklace I got him for his birthday (he loves it way more than I thought he would) and on occasion wears a spinner ring on his middle finger.

 

[Revulkcor]

My brother is 16 years old and wears necklaces & rings. He doesn't get teased at all. He buys more whenever he gets a chance, only time he takes them off is to play basketball on his school's basketball team or to sleep/shower.

 

[Magic Mom]

I don't see anything wrong with boys wearing necklaces or other jewelry. But other boys might not be receptive to getting jewelry gifts from their guy friends.

 

[mdsoccermom]

Many seem to be missing the point. I don't think the issue here is whether or not a boy should wear a necklace. The issue is should a boy exchange BFF necklaces with another boy. And honestly, that's really a girl thing. I can't imagine a boy taking such a gift from another boy, especially if it's a girls' necklace from a girls store.

 

[Magic Mom]

Many seem to be missing the point. I don't think the issue here is whether or not a boy should wear a necklace. The issue is should a boy exchange BFF necklaces with another boy. And honestly, that's really a girl thing. I can't imagine a boy taking such a gift from another boy, especially if it's a girls' necklace from a girls store.

I agree.

 

[Totally Tink]

My 8 year old son loves necklaces and always looks at them when we go to the beach, zoo, etc. Honestly, he'd be thrilled if a friend gave him a necklace, but he's not a "macho" kid, IYKWIM. I teach in an elementary school and do know how kids can be about those sort of things. Your son sounds like a sweet kid!

 

[Minnie]

I would take it back and help DS choose a more appropriate gift

 

[Ceila]

I would not allow my son to set himself up for the rejection and teasing that this would bring. As much as we would all like to believe that people should be able to wear whatever they want (and in a perfect world, that would be true). However, the reality is that if the OP's son does this, it will quite possibly have bad results.

To the OP, your son is a very sweet kid, and thoughtfulness like that should be applauded and encouraged. However, as a parent it is up to us to help kids find appropriate expressions of friendship, and a boy giving another boy a girl's necklace from a girl's store just isn't a good choice. Help him find another token of friendship - even if it's a necklace, make it one that's clearly for boys.

 

[sms]

I just asked my DS7 (second grade) if he would do this and he said he would as long as it didn't look like a girls necklace. He thinks its a cool idea, and he is ALL boy. They are just kids! Your DS8 knows what his best friend would like! I doubt those kids are gonna know its from a "girls store".

 

[autumnpalm]

I would not allow my son to set himself up for the rejection and teasing that this would bring. As much as we would all like to believe that people should be able to wear whatever they want (and in a perfect world, that would be true). However, the reality is that if the OP's son does this, it will quite possibly have bad results.

To the OP, your son is a very sweet kid, and thoughtfulness like that should be applauded and encouraged. However, as a parent it is up to us to help kids find appropriate expressions of friendship, and a boy giving another boy a girl's necklace from a girl's store just isn't a good choice. Help him find another token of friendship - even if it's a necklace, make it one that's clearly for boys.

I agree with this.

I work with kids around that age and while some of them would love the gift and think it was fun, there are, unfortunately, definitely others who would make fun of the OP's son. Unfortunately, I think giving a girl's friendship necklace is opening your son up to teasing and possibly rejection if his friend does not share his interests. It's a difficult situation because it is such a sweet gesture of your son, but I can see it ending badly. Kids can be mean, especially about something they may see as slightly "different."

 

[BRDof3]

The issue is should a boy exchange BFF necklaces with another boy. And honestly, that's really a girl thing. I can't imagine a boy taking such a gift from another boy, especially if it's a girls' necklace from a girls store.

Sexist attitudes work both ways. It's the same irrational covenant that says girls and boys can't play each others games or sports, and can't mingle without being teased or having the excuse that you are trying to "get" something from it. All these years of evolution and we haven't gotten any further than this. Sad.

If the intended recipient likes the idea, nobody else's opinion amounts to a hill of beans.

 

[autumnpalm]

If the intended recipient likes the idea, nobody else's opinion amounts to a hill of beans.

I agree with this completely. However the OP isn't sure if the intended recipient does, in fact, like the idea. If he does then awesome! I think it's a really sweet gesture of friendship. But I think what many posters are suggesting is that the intended recipient very well may not like the idea, opening up the OPs son to teasing and rejection. Not all boys do like necklaces and out of those boys who do, some may not like the idea of a friendship necklace from a store that sells girl's items.

 

[BRDof3]

I agree with this completely. However the OP isn't sure if the intended recipient does, in fact, like the idea. If he does then awesome! I think it's a really sweet gesture of friendship. But I think what many posters are suggesting is that the intended recipient very well may not like the idea, opening up the OPs son to teasing and rejection. Not all boys do like necklaces and out of those boys who do, some may not like the idea of a friendship necklace from a store that sells girl's items.

Which is why my first suggestion was the ground-breaking idea to actually ask the intended recipient's parents, to find that out.

I disagree with you. What most of the posters are doing is projecting their own narrow viewpoints onto the two boys in question. The people against this idea do not discuss this in terms of finding out the other boy's attitudes. They simply recoil at the idea of a boy giving a "girl" gift to another boy. Sexism at its finest.

They would keel over and die if they knew that my son has his own dolls and my daughter plays city rec league baseball.

 

[kirbsam]

Many seem to be missing the point. I don't think the issue here is whether or not a boy should wear a necklace. The issue is should a boy exchange BFF necklaces with another boy. And honestly, that's really a girl thing. I can't imagine a boy taking such a gift from another boy, especially if it's a girls' necklace from a girls store.

you said it baby...