What my 13 year old GS has requested for Christmas

You could either give him some money in a card saying ‘money towards … cologne’ or you could buy him a token for the full amount at a shop where they sell it. Then he might understand the cost, or happily pay up, or even get it cheaper in the sales!

Maybe a new thread idea?
Will it stay lighthearted, do you think?

Yeah, it'll be fine.

MissAdventure

Ooh a barney!
Havent heard that expression for years!

I’m sure that together we could come up with a smorgasbord of regional dialect; you being from the South East, and me the Midlands

Sorry to say you’re out of touch. My sons now late twenties & early thirties both wanted Calvin Klein pants and designer perfumes, both grandparents gave cash after they were 12, as the greatest enjoyment was the rare treat to buy their hearts desire them self . Best thing to do is give them some cash towards what they’d like and they can buy it themselves and will be very grateful too!

Interesting slang - going to google

Ooh a barney!
Havent heard that expression for years!

Hithere

Fanny,

What would that response be if it was a gd?

If you think it is sexist, it may totally be

Give over, go else where for a barny. You won’t get one from me

Then, when your mum had made you have a "version" of something, and you complained that the other kids laughed, she would try to convince you it was because they were jealous!

P.S shall we have a fight about it?
Or a heated discussion, at the least?

Fanny,

What would that response be if it was a gd?

If you think it is sexist, it may totally be

I remember my mum getting me things that she thought were 'just the same' as the real thing, but not quite, and that 'not quite' made all the difference

We lived in the USA when I was seven and I really wanted a tin lunchbox with a hinge and a handle like all the American kids had.

My Mum pooh poohed this and said a plastic Tupperware box was perfectly adequate. It was the subject of much interest but not in a good way, I was mortified.

My children were always allowed their choice of lunchbox 😇

What would you consider an unreasonable request for a girl, though?

I think that I’m probably being extremely sexist here. I’d have a totally different response to a girl’s unreasonable request

It seems that I’m the only one who is against a lad barely in his teens wanting a spendy bottle of pong!

(And can I please add; it’s so nice to have a chat and vaguely disagree about stuff without insulting each other.
Not for the first time, I’ve been wondering is it worth it being on here)

When my daughter was nine or ten, she didn't have the trainers that were hugely fashionable at the time.
Big tongues, lots of laces, thick soles.

I saw a pair on sale in a shop that was closing, and bought her a pair for her birthday... L.A Gear, if that's important- it was at the time.

She cried with happiness when she saw them, really sobbed.

Gin

Well that is me convinced! Tomorrow I shall see if I can find it in the local town. I am not venturing into the crowds in Milton Keynes even for my lovely GS

Fingers crossed🤞 you can find a coffret for the same price! Maybe request some samples of others for him to try?

So certain posters think that it is not an appropriate gift, after asking the parents who clearly approved of the present.

What's the point of asking if the posters' approval is what counts? (No, not really)

Yes, the child is 13 but he is closer to adulthood (in 5 years) than childhood (left behind 7 or 6 years ago)

Way to infantalize the gc

If anybody is not willing to think outside their box, please dont ask and just give money according to the giver standards

I can't remember which comedian, but he spoke about his mum saying he couldn't go to macdonalds when she could cook a better version at home.

MissAdventure

What's wrong with keeping up with your peers, though?

Plenty of that goes on, throughout life, but it's never more important than when you're a teen.

Agreed. I remember my mum getting me things that she thought were 'just the same' as the real thing, but not quite, and that 'not quite' made all the difference.

Nobody wants Chanel No 6, or a book about Henry Potter.

You have to be confident enough to rebel, and it's hard to be confident when you're not in step.

You gotta be in it, to consciously step out of it. Maaaaan...

And I honestly doubt if he really wants it

MissAdventure

What's wrong with keeping up with your peers, though?

Plenty of that goes on, throughout life, but it's never more important than when you're a teen.

I prefer a bit of rebellion!
It’s all a bit too consumer-y for me

Gin

Thanks for all your advice. Yes I must be out of touch but forgive me I am pretty ancient!

If it it’s relevant, I’m 50, and I wouldn’t buy it for him.
Nothing to do with the cost.

What's wrong with keeping up with your peers, though?

Plenty of that goes on, throughout life, but it's never more important than when you're a teen.

I’m going to sound like a right misery guts, but no way would I spend that much on an fragrance for a 13 year old lad.
In my experience of 13 year old lads, it might be a ‘keeping up with the Jones’’ type thing.
I’d be inclined to ask him if there was anything else that he’d like