Thetownend.com

My little boy is 2 on the 25th, I want to buy him a Swindon kit so he can open it and wear it while I'm at Wembley. My girlfriend says that its really a present for me, not for him. (it'd be an extra present anyway) now I'm getting grief from bro-in-law saying I should leave Jacob to decide. He's a villa fan, his two boys have grown to support Man Utd and Liverpool. Both teams, each boy. Advice, dear TEF, to Shirt my boy or not? Is 2 too young?

Wouldn't say it's too young, but no harm in putting it off. I never went to footy or had any connection with it until I was about 4 or 5, then loved it. Nothing wrong with waiting til he's old enough to decide, then gently influencing his decision ;)

Get him the shirt! It's your duty as a good father to make sure he follows the right footballing path! I'll be getting my little un one when he's a bit older!

By listening to your idiot of a brother in law you run the risk of your son growing up fake supporting a Man Utd or Liverpool.

Get the shirt and give your brother in law a knee in the balls while you are at it. Tit.

Tell your bro in law to fuck off.

tell him to fuck off and then knee him in the balls, even better.

get it for him.

I did for mine at about that age, although he has only started coming to games this year ( at 7 )

The way I look at is my Dad made me suffer all those years by bringing me, why should my boy get away with it  :)

This.

Supporting your dads team (especially when it's the team of your hometown) is a tradition of sorts. Then again, I wouldn't expect your in-law armchair fans to understand that though - tell them to do one.

FFS grow a pair, tell him he's a 1st class cunt and to fuck off and keep his nose out of your business and get your lad the kit

I vote for this as the best answer.

Fair do's, decision made. Much obliged TEFers!

don't get him a kit, just buy him a voucher for sky for his birthday and he can pick based on what he sees on tv

You are his Dad.  End of story.

Your brother-in-law has overstepped the mark and blundered in to an area that is none of his fucking business anyway.  In as friendly way as possible (not worth falling out over), I'd let him know that in no uncertain terms.

Your brother in law sounds like a massive fucking cunt.

Print all these replies off.

How can he make his own choice if you don't educate him?

Buy him the kit.

the football team he supports is a scared thing and it should be passed down from father to son, my dad is a town fan and so am i, if i ever spawn then my kid will be a town fan. as you're brother in law is a villa, you should disregard anything he says about football.

So true, so true.

By him the kit and take him to Wembley!

Buy the kit, wear yours - he'll love that.

It's a major bonding thing between father and son supporting the same club.

My son is only 9 months old and is now in his second Swindon kit (this season and lasts), if I can influence his choice of team then I will as I believe that there is no greater sense of pride than supporting your hometown team, the town have made me emotional several times!

If he admires Man City in the future then that's fine and to a degree natural, I admired Liverpool when I was a child but I still was a Swindon fan

I would never inflict such pain upon my own child.

Yours has already has been sporting some town stuff, hasnt he mate?

well I'm shocked this Swindon football forum has decided that getting him the kit is the right thing to do..who'd have thought it..

I'd say you've let him down by leaving it this long to be honest.

Your bro in law is clearly a complete cunt.

My little man is now 6 months but I didnt think the club did anything until 12 months?

Oh he's had other Swindon-branded bits and bobs before (bib, juice cup, jumper, that sorta crap), just never a kit.

Dazzza you are right they don't, but my son is bigger than average and the kits are smaller than a average 12 months size.

There are things that are perfectly acceptable to let you child make their own mind up over - religion for example, but if you don't give them some guidance, you run the risk of your kid becoming an Oxford fan, and then what kind of father would you be!

Your brother in law is obviously an armchair fan or he wouldn't have come out with such drivel.  Now get your arse down to the club shop, and get that shirt!

it will look tacky as fuck, get down gap kids and try not to make your boy look like a pikey.

It's good, but I think arriba spoke for the masses  :)

We bought our son his first kit at 4 months old.

It didn't fit, but it was hung on his bedroom wall in his formative years.
We took him to his first game at age 3, and even though we live 120 miles away from Swindon and have done since he was 8 years old he is still a committed Town fan. He spent his 16th birthday on Saturday at the CG supporting Town.

Buy the kit & tell your brother in law to FUCK RIGHT OFF

I bought my 3 sons their first Swindon Kits when they aged 3-4 years.
They have never lived in or near Swindon. Blues, Villa, Coventry, Leicester, Wolves, etc within commutable distance.
They are now  mid- twenty and continue to wear a Swindon Shirt with pride.

Buy him the kit (obviously) and cut off your brother-in-law's ears, cure them properly (so they won't smell), then hang the shrivelled remains above the little'uns bed as a warning of the perils of becoming an armchair Sky fan. It's the only responsible thing to do.

Which bit of the above statement gave you any doubt what you should do.

Do you want your son to grow up supporting Man U and Liverpool? Do you want to emulate the brother-in-law as failure as a father. Fuck no. Buy the shirt. There is no debate.

This is a subject close to my heart. I've told my Mrs that if we have a lad I'll be the one buying him football shirts, if any relative buys him anything other than a Swindon, Hibs or Scotland top that's fine, but within seconds of opening such a present the item will be found burning in a very quickly made (small) bonfire.

I think it'll only take one of two bonfires for all our relatives to get the message.

He's your lad, tell your brother to keep his no brain opinions to himself, and buy the shirt!

Ha, I've made the same threat after in-laws suggested they will buy West Ham & Liverpool gear.

Be very careful around that in-law...he'll try to buy your son a Man Utd or Villa shirt for his birthday, or even worse, he'll tell your wife that she should buy it and you won't mind...I've seen it happen...don't let it.

My son is 4 1/2 and has had a season ticket for 2 years now...yeah, ok, he falls asleep for most of the game, but he still knows who our team is (when he is awake). The Junior Red membership is a small price to pay for leading him down the right path...

Sit back and relax Sam, you've been decent enough to explain what will happen, if they're stupid enough to waste their own money let them, then pick up shirt walk out the back, and light up. He's your son, not theirs.

I'd love to burn a liverpool shirt.

I don't believe that whether a 2 yo has a shirt or not will make any difference to his future choice of team - just too young to understand anything imho.  But why not get it for him? - your gf is prob right that its more for you but that doesn't make it wrong.

I never put my son under any pressure to support Town, just started taking him to matches at age 4, bought him kit at that age and made absolutely sure that when he ever showed any signs of supporting a Prem team (nearly started biting re Arsenal at one stage) it was made clear that he'd never get taken to matches or bought any merchandise.  This tactic would have been totally undermined by any interfering relative putting the spoke in! I would not be happy if my bro had convinced him to be a ManU fan!

I'm with you. But last time I checked, she was a girl ;)

Sorry Sam! Was thinking of original poster!

I do believe the first three words of the thread do, in fact, answer your own question.

Of course you buy him the kit, you do with the smile of a proud father introducing his son to real football and not following two teams at once.

So, did you buy him a kit?

or did you tell your brother in law to fuck off and mind his own business.

Or both  :hmmm:

And give it to the brother in law for his birthday

buy your brother-in-law a Swindon shirt for his birthday

Bought it yesterday, got a free adidas ball too so were kicking that up and down the hall with him. He's worn it all of today, washing it tonight and he'll wear it again tomorrow!

He got muddy in the hall then?

 Good decision  :thumb:

WE went to the field with his cousins and their dads, get muddy playing football there.

Yes, but what does your wife think about your girlfriend getting involved in the whole debate? Or did you take a girlfriend in order to escape from your hideous brother-in-law?

Modern families are so confusing.