Minnie ears

[Aladora]

Arrived in WDW yesterday. Autistic teen son wants to get some Minnie ears. I think we should let him get some (and he's using his spending money) but husband calmly spoke to me (not in front of our son) and said he doesn't think we should let him. What would you do?

I have an autistic teen son. I recommend gently guiding him toward what's socially appropriate. Unless he'd be just devastated, I would not let him wear MInnie Ears.

Well, I'm not even sure how to start to with all of this.

"Socially appropriate" means making sure everyone is wearing clothes that cover their privates, not policing what kind of mouse ears someone is buying!

Let your son buy whenever the heck he wants to! Autistic or not, it makes ZERO difference. If he wants them and he is paying for them, then there is no reason to ban him from buying them. I have an autistic teen son and would allow him to get Minnie ears with no hesitation whatsoever.

FTR, we were in DL last week and there were almost no Mickey ear hats in either park and very few options for Minnie ones. My son didn't like the headband style so for the first time in over a dozen Disney trips, he did not get a pair but that was for lack of options, not some sort of silly gendered issue.

 

[Kellykins1218]

I agree with your husband. You can talk him into a pair of Mickey Ears that are generic and tell him he can get something else Mini like a tee shirt with both of them on it. I work with special needs students and while they should be able to do what gives him happiness, what happens in a few years when he sees photos and asks why you let him do that?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[Alicefan]

Hmm - I bought rainbow ears for my cousins kid. I wonder if people thought my cousins and I were lesbians? Unfortunately, I am not cool enough to be a lesbian LOL - but it wouldn't bother me at all if people thought I was gay. I mean why would it?

I mean, that's fine if you're cool with it, but we weren't and that's fine too. No one is wrong here for feeling one way or another on the subject. Everyone is different and that's what makes the world go round. It wouldn't make any difference to me if I saw a kid wearing a big ol' bow on his head. Do whatever makes you feel good but not everyone is going to react the way you think they should. I'm pretty non confrontational so I would chose to avoid the situation completely.

 

[Alicefan]

Yikes was straight to the point of your comment, it wasn't being nasty. If you feel it is nasty to say yikes perhaps you feel something about feeling that way towards a rainbow pattern that goes way beyond a comment on a discussion board

I wasn't referring to the Yikes, but your snarky remark about the other person getting along with the OP's husband. That's just uncalled for IMO. Everyone goes on and on about not being judgmental all while they're being judgmental themselves if someone else doesn't align completely with the way they think. There's no such thing as "no judgment". People will always have their own thoughts and feelings one way or another. People can't sit there calling someone else judgmental. It's hypocrisy at it's finest. The best we can do is learn to accept that everyone is different and always will be, and that's okay.

 

[Aladora]

I agree with your husband. You can talk him into a pair of Mickey Ears that are generic and tell him he can get something else Mini like a tee shirt with both of them on it. I work with special needs students and while they should be able to do what gives him happiness, what happens in a few years when he sees photos and asks why you let him do that?

Probably the same thing that will happen when my son asks me why I let him go to school wearing his shirt on backwards one day:

"Because you wanted to."

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I wasn't referring to the Yikes, but your snarky remark about the other person getting along with the OP's husband. That's just uncalled for IMO. Everyone goes on and on about not being judgmental all while they're being judgmental themselves if someone else doesn't align completely with the way they think. There's no such thing as "no judgment". People will always have their own thoughts and feelings one way or another. People can't sit there calling someone else judgmental. It's hypocrisy at it's finest. The best we can do is learn to accept that everyone is different and always will be, and that's okay.

1) well you quoted that specific comment how am I to know you're referring to a completely different one?

2) The comment was "oh..I missed this comment before. Sounds like you and the husband would get along great" was not said in some snarky way, matter of fact? Yup because the husband said " its feminine and people will judge us/him" and the other poster said "guiding him toward what's socially appropriate". Socially appropriate at WDW would be to wear minnie ears, and where we are these days it's actually pretty much socially cool to see minnie ears on all sorts of individuals irrespective of who they identify as so yeah sounds like the other poster and the husband would get along great due to their shared outlook.

But snarky? No.

Where did I call for people to not be judgy on this thread? I didn't even bring that up so not sure why you are.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

what happens in a few years when he sees photos and asks why you let him do that?

Why is there an assumption that he would and furthermore do so in a manner that is more of "how could you let me" instead of "that's a great picture, I remember having fun" or something like that.

 

[Tink-osophy]

Just a heads up - in case it hasn't been mentioned - but this exact opening post is also elsewhere on the internet posted by newly-created scam member accounts.

 

[Alicefan]

1) well you quoted that specific comment how am I to know you're referring to a completely different one?

2) The comment was "oh..I missed this comment before. Sounds like you and the husband would get along great" was not said in some snarky way, matter of fact? Yup because the husband said " its feminine and people will judge us/him" and the other poster said "guiding him toward what's socially appropriate". Socially appropriate at WDW would be to wear minnie ears, and where we are these days it's actually pretty much socially cool to see minnie ears on all sorts of individuals irrespective of who they identify as so yeah sounds like the other poster and the husband would get along great due to their shared outlook.

But snarky? No.

Where did I call for people to not be judgy on this thread? I didn't even bring that up so not sure why you are.

I quoted exactly the post about the husband getting along with the other person, not the one that said "yikes" so I'm not sure where the confusion lies? If you don't see that as snarky then I'm not sure what other way you meant it to be taken. I apologize if I am wrong. As for bringing up the judgment stuff, I was speaking in general as it had come up in the thread, not that I thought you had said anything about it. Either way, the husband's feelings on it probably goes much deeper than any of us are able to see from one post on a forum. With a child with autism, I'm sure several things come into play. He could be concerned about his son's reaction if he were to receive any unwanted comments or attention because of the ears. It may not be all about the husband and his feelings. Heck, we live in a world where people will stop and take a photo of an obese person, so it's not like there isn't a chance that they may encounter something that might ruin their experience because of something that seems so insignificant to you or me.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I quoted exactly the post about the husband getting along with the other person, not the one that said "yikes" so I'm not sure where the confusion lies?

You're right I apologize for that, I looked back and saw you did quote the correct comment

If you don't see that as snarky then I'm not sure what other way you meant it to be taken.

Nah, no snark. Take it for just an observation

Heck, we live in a world where people will stop and take a photo of an obese person, so it's not like there isn't a chance that they may encounter something that might ruin their experience because of something that seems so insignificant to you or me.

Uhh..you've lost me what does that have to do with anything? You're saying obese people shouldn't go to a theme park just in case someone might take a photo and judge them? I mean we're talking about minnie ears, wouldn't a more analogous example be someone's apparel rather than someone's weight?

He could be concerned about his son's reaction if he were to receive any unwanted comments or attention because of the ears.

The OP said it was because "Says its feminine and people will judge us/him and husband thinks he's too old"

That's not really about other people and when someone says it in that way with it being too feminine but adds in fearing that other people will judge them it's a cop out. It's about how you perceive ears on a son (rather than a daughter). Ask yourself if someone would even question if their teen girl would want to wear minnie ears and you'll have your answer. As far as age people (yes adults) make a living on social media getting merch, a teen isn't too old by any means but if that was only the husband's worry we could point out all the instagram posts, Disney bloggers and blogs Disney has written themselves with older than teens.

 

[Meglen]

I have an autistic teen son. I recommend gently guiding him toward what's socially appropriate. Unless he'd be just devastated, I would not let him wear MInnie Ears.

Socially appropriate? Is it because he's a boy? He can't wear ears? Mickey is a boy and has ears. People walk around with the goofy hats on all day. Is that not socially acceptable? Also Disney is a place for fun and to be a child again.. heck if my husband a grown almost 40yr old wanted to wear the most frilly pink ears I wouldn't care.

My son liked all the orange bird stuff more than ears so we got him a bunch of that and took lots of photos. But if he wanted ears he could have had them.

 

[Alicefan]

You're right I apologize for that, I looked back and saw you did quote the correct comment

Nah, no snark. Take it for just an observation

Uhh..you've lost me what does that have to do with anything? You're saying obese people shouldn't go to a theme park just in case someone might take a photo and judge them? I mean we're talking about minnie ears, wouldn't a more analogous example be someone's apparel rather than someone's weight?

I'm saying that people are mean and they do and say mean things to people be it someone overweight or a grown boy in Minnie ears. Just an example of how ugly people can be to other people.