Too soon to shave legs?

[Anonymous]

Twelve is fine for shaving. I am a ginger. The hair on my legs is blonde and virtually undetectable. My friends growing up were all dark haired, dark skinned and started hair removal around 12 so I started it then, too.

[Anonymous]

I’m fighting the makeup battle with my 5th grader all year, as a lot of her friends are somehow allowed. Our rule is lip gloss only until middle school- 7th grade.

On the other hand, shaving doesn’t bother me, I asked my Mom when I was 10 and that’s when my daughter asked me. Although now that she has access to a razor, she started shaving her arms too- which I think it unnecessary and silly, but it makes her happy. At the end of the day, it’s just hair removal.

[Anonymous]

Have her shave when she wants to shave. It doesn't make one bit of difference one way or another, and prevents her from being bullied.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m fighting the makeup battle with my 5th grader all year, as a lot of her friends are somehow allowed. Our rule is lip gloss only until middle school- 7th grade.

On the other hand, shaving doesn’t bother me, I asked my Mom when I was 10 and that’s when my daughter asked me. Although now that she has access to a razor, she started shaving her arms too- which I think it unnecessary and silly, but it makes her happy. At the end of the day, it’s just hair removal.

Mine does the arms too. I think it's silly too, but I've never said a word.

[Anonymous]

My mom wouldn't let me shave and I had dark hair on my legs and already had a period. I ended up wearing knee-high socks most of 6th grade and it was so embarrassing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd show her how to do it safely. Tell her she doesn't need to do it. And then leave it up to her.

I'd also consider allowing some makeup. Just a little. Letting her play around and experiment with makeup will make it less "taboo" and something reserved for "older girls". A little eyeshadow and colored lip glass is not a big deal.

I think at age 12 forbidding things like this just makes your kid get sneaky and she'll start lying to you.

I'll also ask if you let her decide about her own hair cuts. If no, I'd start letting her control how she wears her hair.

+1. My 12 year old wears the least amount of makeup among her friends and I think it’s because she has worn it for years during dance performances. There’s no mystery or excitement, it’s just makeup and she can take it or leave it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Twelve is fine for shaving. I am a ginger. The hair on my legs is blonde and virtually undetectable. My friends growing up were all dark haired, dark skinned and started hair removal around 12 so I started it then, too.

I have pale skin and dark hair and all of my friends were blonde. My mom wouldn’t let me shave because other girls weren’t shaving and shaving too early was “slutty.” And then I was picked on mercilessly. It was a small thing but the start of why I was pushed out of my friend group in 6th grade and basically didn’t have friends until HS when our school merged with other schools. So I was getting shamed at school and shamed at home.

OP, if my mom had the reasonable response you just had on this thread, it might have changed my adolescence and saved me a lot of grief. Good for you for being willing to hear other sides and change your mind.

[Anonymous]

If her legs are hairy she should shave them.

[Anonymous]

Of course she isn’t too young. If they are old enough to manage to shave safely, that’s old enough. What is your hesitation? This is no big deal

[Anonymous]

You're wrong. 6th grade and 11/12 years old is a totally normal time to start shaving legs.

Don't make your daughter into Lindsey Newberg, the only girl in my middle school who, in 8th grade, was still wearing undershirts rather than bras and not shaving, and everyone knew it.

[Anonymous]

She wants to. Let her. Op, you do not need to micromanage this by months/or a year or two.

[Anonymous]

I remember friends shaving in 4th/5th grade in the 90s!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 12-year old daughter keeps insisting on shaving her legs and I strongly feel she’s too young. Although she started shaving her armpits earlier this year (she had a good reason too); I just don’t know if shaving her legs now is too young for her. The reason why I think it’s too soon for that is because just about every week she wants to do something new, wear makeup, etc., thus, pushing her limits with me. She’s not allowed to wear makeup, but on special occasions she can wear lip gloss. Am I overreacting with this new shaving of her legs request?

Am I not ready for her to grow up, of course not!!! So I know it has to do with my inner self accepting that she’s becoming a teenager, but at the same time I feel that this new generation is doing everything much earlier that we did back in the day.

Please no judgement here and looking for some honest feedback and opinions.

Never too soon for a girl to learn to keep shaved. A girl went to school with, who had crazy religious parents, wouldn't let her shave her legs until Jr. High, so she had legs as hairy as teen boys by 12 years old and was forever known after that as "Hairy Hannah" even after she started shaving.

Don't bully your kid. Hygiene is not makeup.

[Anonymous]

You’re going to strangle her by holding on so tight.

[Anonymous]

My mom wouldn’t let me start until 6th grade and I had dark hair on my legs by then. My daughter started with Nair, hair removal cream, at around 10 when she asked.

At 14 she’s very inconsistent. Sometimes she shaves and sometimes she doesn’t. Same with her underarms. She cared much more about leg, arm and lip hair from 10-12 than she does now.