He’s still a bit too young for fake nails. I’d tell him he needs to wait until he’s older and that he can just paint his nails for now.
You could try the ones that stick on to start. That way there is no glue or damage to his nails. Good luck mama 
I let my daughters wear fake nails at that age (now 10 & 11) but at 8 & 9 I didn’t care. The gender part is irrelevant. It’s whatever you feel as a parent.
I agree with the ones that say let him be whoever he wants to be, love and express your love for him. However also prepare / talk to him about what will happen if he does in regards to friends etc… Not to discourage him only so he knows what might happen.
I personally think that’s too young for fake nails. My daughter doesn’t even paint her nails yet. I think fake nails will be ok with me around freshman year of high school! That’s just me tho 
I would have to say, you can teach him what fake nails for (like to beautify your hands/makes working ladies look good etc…) and also at same time do other activities.
Let him wear the nails. Let him Express himself. Press on nails would be perfect.
As parents it’s our job to support our children in all their endeavors so if that means nails today then so be it!
I personally wouldnt let my 8y old child wear nails regardless of gender.
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Let him me him. We question my youngest brother and he is now 12… he occasionally lets us do girly stuff to him and is very willing. He is more girly than my 15 year old sister… and my brother NEVER talks about girls! Or has ever been interested. But he’s never been interested in boys either… I would play it out and then ask him about what going on in a cheerful happy way. Don’t me your child’s first bully and don’t let anyone else! Just act like it’s a casual thing!!
In my opinion a 8-9 year old is too young for fake nails. The nails and the glue could damage his nails.
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Would you let an 8 year old daughter do it ? If so , let him.
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Let him be him and express himself the way he’d like! There are plenty of fake nail alternatives and some don’t even include glue! My 3 year old daughter has the nails you slip on to the top of your fingertips found a set at the $1 store!
As a nail tech, and strictly as a nail tech: no. They could damage his nail bed thru play or peeling them off. Just an unnecessary risk with little growing nail beds. Paint them or encourage him to grow them out for a week and paint.
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I’m going thru a similar situation my daughter is a total tomboy she’s 11. She thinks she likes both. I explained I don’t care who she likes or what she wears I will love her no matter what but I did warn her about people at school and at this age to maybe dress comfortable but don’t go extreme at school due to people’s behavior and being bullies because she is super sensitive and bullies are so mean. But I say let him do him…the harder you fight it the harder it will be on him. Although with fake nails my daughter and I have had horrible experience in the past with damaging our nails so the on and off I’m not sure about that but may be let him paint them?
Theres nail polish for kids that come off in the shower, if its such a concern for him being bullied at school. He can see if he likes it or not and once he understand that “fake nail are for girls” he can decide if he wants to keep it up or not. I think the point of being parents is to encourage and help them express who they are, if not then whats the point of being parents or having kids if you bring them down for something they may ir may not like?
I wouldn’t let an 8year old have fake nails … They can damage the nail beds and the glue can ruin the nail
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I say go for it momma. My son loves to have his nails painted. During school we paint his toes but in the summer we paint his fingers only because I dont want his feelings hurt ar school. But honestly his friends at school are nicer about it then his father is.
Simple if you would not let your child do it in public don’t do it at home.
I say let him do it. Worst case scenario: he’ll turn out gay & that’s not a bad thing! Sounds like you’re accepting. My son plays in my makeup & dresses up etc but he also loves dirt & trucks etc. Just let him experience it. It may be a stage. Sounds like you’re kicking ass at letting him be who he wants to be. Lotsa little boys have stages like that.
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I wouldn’t let my 8 year old daughter wear fake nails. Nail polish sure…but not fake nails
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Would you let your 8 yo daughter wear nails? If the answer is yes, then it shouldn’t be any different for a boy if he wants. Whatever you do do not sway him onto manly things. That will make him resist you.
I wouldnt do fake nails maybe those clip on ones. Mainly because its bad for his nails. Kids like to dress up and if hes mainly around women thats what he see’s. You could suggest different activities that are more "boy"things or just activities with other kids to make more friends. Maybe drama club.
I wouldn’t allow that for a boy or a girl at that age
Considering he wants to take them off for school days, I don’t see an issue. It sounds like he’s talking about the cheap press on nails that stay on with the sticker. I let my daughter wear them when they were 4-5 years old they last about 30 min if you’re lucky, because they’re stickers. So I dont see an issue, if it was acrylics then I wouldn’t because of the nail damage. I let my son paint his nails when he was younger, dye his hair, pierce his ear, and so on. However with every “outside the norm” expression he desired we had the talk about how we as parents accept his desires to express himself, but there are people who will and do make fun of kids that do. I explained that kids might think it’s girly, other men might call him names, and women too. I expressed my concern with him because he was a very sensitive child and I didn’t want him to be unprepared. He chose when he was able to deal with the backlash and how to handle it when it came at him. That to me was more important than the nails or anything else he tried.
The fact that your child wants to do it at home should be ok, after all his home should be his safe space.
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Our son wanted his nails painted around that age. He would do black or orange or something along those lines. He wore them out like that once and kids made fun of him. His sister’s stuck up for him but he chose to not wear them out in public again.
He is now 10 and doesn’t ask to have his nails painted.
I would get the stick on ones and let him do his thing.
Love to you mama!
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They make stick on nails for kids. They use easy to remove adhesive strips. Let him wear them at home. I have a 6 year old grandson that wears dresses at home. I see nothing wrong with it.
I would persuade him to just paint his own nails. Grow them if he wants to but fake nails can damage his own nails. I wouldnt let my daughter wear them nor a son if I had one but crack on with painting if they want to. X
While I’m all for letting him express himself, at 8 years old he does not need fake nails. Just let him paint them
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I would see about the little stick on ones instead of glue. Let him be him 
Let your boy be who he is. Let him express himself. Start early. You sound really open minded otherwise which is super awesome mama, so keep it going and let the boy wear his fake nails!
-side note- my best friend is a guy and he wears fake nails and make up and he’s STRAIGHT, has been doing this since high school and never gave 2 f-cks what anyone thought and he’s turned out amazing so far.
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Get the cheap ones that don’t use glue, and good job mama 
F what everyone else thinks u keep showing your baby unconditional love
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Let him do him. My 6 yr old daughter has went from babies to skateboards, fake tattoos and dirt bikes. She also took out her earrings and got her hair cut short. Society determines enough of our lives let our kids be who they want to be
One of my 8year old boys love to have his nails painted. He loves the color pink, anything that sparkles and he is a major MLP fan. He also has an amazing heart, a sweet loving soul and more empathy than any other kiddo I know. Do what you feel is best for him and his happiness, press on nails will be one of the smaller worries in the long run!
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I’d let him do whatever his heart desires. If it’s what makes him happy then who is anybody to disagree. I will say though the glue on nails do seem to damage your nails. I’d go with the stick ons. Glad to see all these supportive mothers on here! I believe in letting your children be their authentic selves. Screw society and their " ideas" of what a boy should be. People need to be happy whatever that looks like for them!
Let him feel free to express himself where he feels most comfortable for sure. Seems like he already knows who he is and what he likes. He’s looking for your support and seems you are doing a great job, keep it up!!!
I think it would be a perfect time to teach/talk/show your son about self love. And don’t push him to be “manly” encourage him to do what makes him happy. That’s what I think of first before. You can explain to him what people might think or say, but teaching him self love with help him when or if people do be mean to him. Getting fake nails though, I agree he is still too young. I would say no, but yes to nail polish or stickers like some other moms mentioned.
Even if he becomes a straight up alien, show him you got his back.
Nail on, young man.
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Its not killing or hurting anybody. Let him do it
He’s only 8…even fake nail’s on a little 8 year old girl would not be appropriate…in my opinion.
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Let that baby have them! Let him be himself! We can create mold & build all we want to! But we cannot control international emotion!
I’d let him wear them. Just get the ones that stick on, not the ones that use glue. Kids need to express who they are. Let him enjoy being who he is.
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Let him. You give that boy a safe space to express himself and love himself and fond himself. Be the person he doesn’t feel like he needs to censor himself around. Be his save person.
my only concern would be the fake nail glue can be awful for your real nails! get the ones that just pop off and not the ones with the real glue. personally if it were me i would encourage him to grow his natural nails out and teach him how to maintain them if he really wants long nails, but thats just me. Otherwise there is no harm so let him be himself. remember that the only reason society says boys doing these things is because they are feminine and feminine is lesser than. which it isnt.
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Let him be himself! Take it from A mother who’s son came out at 12! If you family has A problem with his choices you should be his biggest fan. Do not! Hurt your son because others might not approve.
I love all these open, loving answers! Of course let him wear the nails! My son is 4, he loves getting his nails painted. He got back lash from a teacher at school “boys shouldn’t have painted nails!” She said. But i told him that’s because she doesn’t know any better, if you want your nails painted then so be it! I agree with all these loving answers!!
Do what you feel. It’s your kid, your decisions. I know you will love him either way and that’s all that matters!
Fake nails wont hurt or kill him. Harmless. Tell him go for it
Sweetheart get your son those press on nails and let him be happy. If you force more manly things upon him he is only going to resent you in the future. Supporting him would be what’s best for both you and him.
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I’d let him start with the press on nails first to get him used to the idea until he is a little older. Because acrylics are hard on your nails as it is, especially on a younger person’s. And that way he can change them up more often to match his mood!
Let him do whatever he wants. As long as he isn’t hurting himself or anyone else. Let him be who he wants
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No… wtf wrong wid ppl. HE IS A BOY…the hell wid what’s being excepted in 2020 bc we are trying to be politically correct…and if nothing else how about this let him do whatever as an adult but while he is a child let him focus on that… girl or boy unless a teenager shouldn’t be having long fake nails anyway, bc regardless girl or boy it’s a child and it would really hurt for it to be ripped off while they are playing bc that what kids do.
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I wouldn’t. Only because he’s young and fake nails can be rough on their nails. Get some nail polish. Forcing more manly things on him won’t change him. He’s going to be who he is. Rather accept him now and show him he’s loved either way.
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Go for it if he’s happy let him have them ( you can get fake nails with just stickers in primark) then no glue is involved 
xx
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I wouldn’t. Because i would not encourage my son to do something that will make it hard for him in school because kids will make fun of him. So for me its a no. Not at this age. Later on if he decides to and is grown up enough to not let ppl bully him over it it will be a yes. But not at this young age. My son wanted to paint nails when he was 6 because he lives with me and his sister so he sees us doing it. I explained to him that its not for boys , he never asked again . He s 10 now. He was just confused and did not know that it’s mostly a girl thing. I m happy i sayd no because he would be miserable at school and kids would gove him a hard life. He s a happy boy and it was just a confusion because his sister paints nails. But i won’t judge mommas who would let .
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If it was my son I would say hell yes and encourage him to be himself alls you can do is support him in how he wants to live his life and just go with the flow
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Unfortunately kids might make fun of him, most kids tease, just because you want to make a statement doesnt mean you should risk someone else going through it. Ask him if he feels comfortable, or if he cares at all, and if he know what to do when bullying does start. thats what really matters. My son paints his nails, and most kids and people at his school dont mind at all.
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Let him be him. There is actually press on nails for kids. Totally cute & use a sticky pad to hold. They pop right off with no damage to the nail bed. I hope he rocks those nails!!
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If he’s calling you at work with Gma he must REALLY want to wear them. I say go with it.
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He can be whatever he love to be.,but explain to him that this world in some part is not so nice,ugly and painful, emotionally and mentally,teach him how to justify himself,so he can be ready.,love him 200% he will be fine…
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Purely for age reasons i would say no x
Let him have the nails
My 7 year old boy, absolutely adores dresses and rainbows and mermaids and barbies. His favorite color is pink and he loves having his nails painted. I wear Color Street nail polish sets and its his favorite thing to match mommy. They don’t stay on his fingers long and it makes him happy. Let the kid be happy being himself 
Do your nails together 
I have 4 boys and one girl. Not even once have I ever told my boys they couldn’t paint their nails or play with dolls. Not once have I ever told my daughter she couldn’t have a nerf gun or play sports. They are children and open to new experiences. I am raising well rounded understanding open minded children. Let that boy get some press on nails! It isnt going to turn him gay if he isn’t. Be his safe space.
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Encourage him to himself no matter what people say!! Even if it just a phase! If it is then great; if it isn’t then great! What matters is how you build him up and help him be comfortable with himself
If it is just for play around the house I would agree and let him do it but I would make it a light color. I would do the same thing if it was my daughter wanting them.
His body, his choice
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Let him get them. “Manly things” is just society’s way of putting a label on things. Don’t make him feel ashamed or like he needs to hide. Our world is ugly enough without parents making children hide their true selves. He will find his place in life with people who understand him, be patient. =)
No. I wouldn’t let my daughter even wear fake nails, not at 8. Way too young. 12 and over would be allowed.
Speaking as a 63 year old gay man who has been gay for as long as I can remember. I can never remember finding the girls interesting yet men always intrigued me. I didn’t know what that was when I was young because nobody talked about it. If he is “showing signs” by all means talk. It won’t save him the heartache of being cast aside by supposed friends or made fun of being bullied. It will, however help prepare him for “his” world. It can help him build his emotions to withstand all the nastiness in this world. Best of luck and I applaud you for asking and being a supportive mom. When I finally learned there was a name for the way I felt, I spoke to my mom. Surprise! She still loved me and to this day thinks my choice in men is better than my brothers choice in women. BTW, I finally found my Mr. Right. The end of this month will be 19 years of complete happiness that I share with my family and my world.
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My son loved that stuff too! We used to paint our nails together. He grows his nails out, they are usually longer than mine and so beautiful! If your son wants to wear press on finger nails, like the ones for kids, I say go for it! Support him! I wouldn’t let him use the ones with the glue, but just because they will ruin his nails, save that for when he’s older. Also, sometimes they don’t like the feel of them and then getting them off is horrible! Along as you aren’t pushing him towards that stuff, I say let him be him. I talked to my son because he wore fingernail polish to school. I told him that if its something he wants to do and he likes then do it, and the people who are his friends will be fine with it or they aren’tfriends. If he’s just doing it because his sister and I do it, then he probably shouldn’t be wearing it to school. He wears my heels too😁
My son is 15 he has been wearing nail polish since he was 10 he is strong independent and confident. He is a competitive dancer that wins scholarships at every dance convention he goes to. He doesn’t get in trouble doesn’t do drugs or alcohol (actually he is a vegetarian) he is also an environmentally conscious kid and he is kind to everyone so I would say by me allowing him to be himself he turned out pretty great!!!
I say no, but because of his age. 8 is too little for fake nails for boy or girl. When I was little they made these plastic fingernails that fit over the top of the finger, with long red nails. Much more age appropriate. Or as others have said, just let him use mail polish.
Agree! He is. what he is, and at his age I think many kids explore their identity and all the possibilities. Making too big a deal of it could be a mistake he will remember.
Just because a child paints their nails has nothing to do with sexual orientation boys have been known to play with dolls or dress in a certain way and have an affinity for clothing many of those grown men are today known as metro men. men whom have a love for looking and dressing well and are not gay on the other hand I am gay and hate every thing girly my friends tell me I do not appear gay but I am.
But maybe we should give him some guidance and prepare him the world has changed but maybe not as much as you and I. I know I have changed a lot since 7-17 years old
I agree. Fake nails are a pain even for adults. They hurt can cause issues all kinds of things. 9 just seems to young.
No but that would go for a girl too, fake nails are not recommended for anyone under 16, as there nails are not strong enough and it can lead to thinning if the nails and so can damage the nails, but if he wants to wear nail polish or nail glitter then I would let him go for it
If you are asking than I think you are having some doubts about doing so. Trust your instincts and go with them, you will find your own answer.
He is too young to wear fake nails.
It’s wonderful that you are so open to let him explore and I would feel exactly the same. I just personally think and say to my daughter and son you are too young for make up and fake nails, hair dye etc! You are beautiful with out all that and you have plenty of time to try all those things when you are older.
He is playing and it’s fun
The little boy feels what he feels. Just support him. Allow him to be himself and let his freedoms fly. Be comfortable in his choices and decisions. He already feels comfort and safety in you. Keep that for him.
The only reason I would say no is because of the damage fake nails can do to your actual nails, however, they do make press on nails for younger kiddos with a temporary glue that does not do as much damage. There are nail stickers as well that he might enjoy. I say let him express himself, and keep being an amazing momma!
Peel off nail polish is better for the nails. Keep rocking it mom!
There are lots of cheap kids stick-on nails out there that come off so easily and don’t damage the nail. Whatever his serial orientation may be in the future, getting to explore himself is so important for his developmental growth. It is beautiful he can learn at home in a safe and loving space so that he can build his confidence no matter his preferences! That confidence and acceptance will carry him far in life, even if others are less kind.
I wouldn’t because it thins the nails. If he wants to grow them out, wants to try some nail polish, then sure. My grandfather was a card dealer in Las Vegas decades ago, and he went to get his nails done on an annual basis. Guys should know how to take care of themselves, and feel comfortable.
I wouldn’t allow it but not because he is a boy, I think that’s too young for any child to put on fake nails.
No. He needs to be a boy. He’s not a girl. He’s too young to know exactly what he wants to do in life.
Let him be him. Too many people try to stop children from being who they want to be and that screws them up. If its a phase it is if not its not. Unconditional love that is what parents need to get back to with thier kids. They try to shelter them too much and kids are stronger than most people think. Just love that little boy with all you have and believe in him
Children that age regardless of gender, should not be wearing fake nails . It is harmful to their nails, and skin. The chemicals used are not safe for children. In addition, try and explore the chemicals that produce hormonal disruption in the daily products you might be using for everyone at home. A lot of identity issues have to do with hormonal disruptions damaging your cells and the way the body produces the hormones, bringing imbalance. A good website to check these products components from toothpaste to body lotions, shampoos etc is : EWG cosmetic data base. Good luck
Children that age regardless of gender, should not be wearing fake nails . It is harmful to their nails, and skin. The chemicals used are not safe for children. In addition, try and explore the chemicals that produce hormonal disruption in the daily products you might be using for everyone at home. A lot of identity issues have to do with hormonal disruptions damaging your cells and the way the body produces the hormones, bringing imbalance. A good website to check these products components from toothpaste to body lotions, shampoos etc is : EWG cosmetic data base. Good luck
I used to put makeup do hair styles on my brothers and they didn’t turn out gay
Give him some corn on the cob to eat with those nails. He will probably change his mind, quickly.
It is not a matter of who you want to be but who God made you. We are not here to decide our own gender but to fulfill the one God gave us.
Well, he IS almost nine, afterall…
My struggle is not nails, heels, make-up, etc., but the influences on our children today. How about stop allowing YouTube to influence your child and just get outside and allow him to find himself without social media or worldly influence? If he “naturally” chooses this route, it is one thing, but allowing the internet to influence him is another. Fake nails are unhealthy to their innocent nail beds, so no. Get him outside, let him explore the true nature that is around us. This is not about acceptance, it is about influence.
He has an older sister — maybe just wants to wear them - no commentary - his sister plays with trucks? AND? WHAT PHASE ~ stop making mountains out of mohills 
NO, but not for any reason other then medical. They can cause ingrown nails, infection, harm cuticles, and damage the nail bed. The glue on type is very damaging, but even the press on ones can do damage if not kept clean. I would say the same thing if it was a girl. Paint them now. If he really likes them wait until he is around 14 or 15 (you decide the maturity level). That way if something goes wrong you can take him to a salon to fix, and he will know if something is wrong and tell you.