Mom Admits She's 'Heartbroken' After Her Husband Throws A Fit Over Their 5-Year-Old Son Having His Nails Painted
Her husband claimed that it was "disgusting" that his 5-year-old son had gotten his nails painted.
Garna Zarina / Shutterstock A mom has admitted that she is unsure how to deal with her husband's attitude and behavior toward their 5-year-old son after he came home from kindergarten with his nails painted.
Posting to the subreddit "r/parenting," she claimed that her husband ruined her son's joy after berating him and his kindergarten for allowing him to wear nail polish.
Her husband argued that it was 'disgusting' that their 5-year-old son was allowed to have his nails painted.
In her Reddit post, she explained that her 5-year-old son had come home from kindergarten recently, and was really excited to have his nails painted. His kindergarten had arranged a "pretend nail salon" and allowed all of the kids to have an opportunity to get their nails painted.
"My son thought this was totally cool and was really excited," she recalled. However, her son's excitement quickly diminished after his father got home, and was immediately angered at the fact that his son's kindergarten would allow him to have his nails painted.
Photo: August de Richelieu / Pexels
The 5-year-old boy's father proceeded to go on a rant and claimed that it was "disgusting" for men to have their nails painted, and such a thing was only allowed for girls and women. He even went as far as to say that he would call his son's kindergarten and complain.
Her son's excitement eventually turned to dismay at hearing how angry his father was, and now his mom is wondering how she should handle this situation because she's "heartbroken" for her son and the fact that his father has an outdated view on gender norms and expression.
People agree that the mom needs to comfort and validate her son against her husband's view of masculinity.
"This happened to my son too, by my now ex-husband. My son loves getting his nails done by his sisters, but he's petrified of others' opinions now," one Reddit user shared. "All I do is encourage and support him. I tell him if he wants them done, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's good bonding time with his sisters."
Another user added, "I'll never understand anyone has so much anger towards children playing. Things only became 'boy or girl' things because the adults decided they were. Kids couldn't [care] about whether they were playing 'gender appropriate' things."
"Your spouse clearly has some serious hang-ups about his own masculinity that he is projecting onto your poor innocent son. Get your husband in therapy," a third user chimed in.
Traditional gender norms have not only forced boys and men to be stoic, strong, and emotionless but also to view certain activities and choices as being exclusively reserved for one gender. Allowing boys to paint their nails can challenge these stereotypes and send a powerful message that there is no such thing as "girl" or "boy" things, especially when it comes to painting nails.
Photo: Ron Lach / Pexels
As parents, it's their job to encourage a child's decisions and choices as long as they bring them joy and happiness. To feel safe, children need to know that their individuality and self-expression are respected by their parents instead of being dimmed.
Just because a boy paints his nails doesn't mean his sexuality should be questioned, and even if that were true, there's nothing wrong with that either.
Not all traits of masculinity are harmful, but it's important to acknowledge the parts that breed toxicity, which is not allowing young boys to embrace all of their interests because there should always be space for children who want to partake in the multiple expressions that come with gender.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.