Strong cologne might be a popular teenage habit, but during pregnancy, it can feel like a nonstop headache in the making.

So, what would you do if your teenage stepson wore so much fragrance that you had to leave rooms just to avoid getting sick?

Would you stay quiet to avoid drama? Or would you ask him to stop wearing it around you?

In the following story, one pregnant stepmom struggles with this exact decision and doesn’t know if to confront him or not.

Here’s what’s going on.

WIBTA if I asked my 17-year-old stepson to stop wearing perfume because I’m pregnant and it makes me nauseous?

I (31F) am 10 weeks pregnant. My symptoms have been manageable overall, but I’m still dealing with nausea, headaches, and fatigue.

My stepson (17M) moved in with us full-time about a month before I got pregnant. Before that, I didn’t see him often, so we’re still adjusting to living together and getting to know each other.

Like a lot of teenagers, he uses a ton of perfume/deodorant. It was intense when he first moved in, but back then I could tolerate it.

After being away, she realized what the problem was.

Now that I’m pregnant, it feels unbearable: if he’s been in a room, I sometimes can’t stay there, and I’ve even had to leave the apartment because I feel so sick.

I recently went away for a week, and I felt amazing – no nausea, no vomiting, no headaches, more energy, super productive. But when I came home, it was like being hit with a wall of symptoms all over again.

So, I can’t help but connect it to constantly being surrounded by the perfume.

I haven’t said anything yet because I don’t want to seem unreasonable or controlling.

Now, she’s unsure how to proceed.

He’s a teenager, and we’re still in a delicate adjustment phase. But I’m considering asking him not to wear cologne at home (he could still wear it out), at least while I’m pregnant.

He doesn’t know I’m pregnant yet, but our home is generally fragrance-free, and neither my partner nor I is a big fan of cologne anyway, so it wouldn’t come completely out of nowhere.

That said, he’s 17, and I definitely drowned myself in perfume at that age, so I get it. And I really don’t want to be the “evil stepmom” or give him a reason to resent me or the pregnancy.

AITA?

Eek! It’s easy to see why she wants to do this, but he could get upset.

Let’s see how the people over at Reddit feel about the situation.

This woman just switched her son’s products out.

For this person, she would reassure him that it’s only temporary.

Here’s someone who recommends getting his dad involved.

Yet another person who thinks her husband should handle it.

This is totally understandable. However, since their relationship is not that solid, he could become upset, so she should tread lightly.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.