10yo embarrased by hairy legs and wants to shave. i am at a loss.
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Anonymous
| I would let her shave- I was too chicken to talk to my mom about girlie stuff and tried it on my own- big mistake, much blood and sillyness when I could have just had her show me the right way! |
Anonymous
| Wow, my daughter is 13 and still doesn't shave. Most of her friends don't either. Why does a 10yr old care? I find that sad. She is just a kid. |
Anonymous
| Let her shave, OP. 10 seems young to us but it's old enough to feel embarrassed by teasing about the body. Tweens are aware of gendered appearances, and in our culture unfortunately feminine = no hair. |
Anonymous
| I started shaving at that age. One bad, but non-scarring, cut and I learned my lesson to be more careful. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
| Get an electric razor and let her shave her legs - no arms. |
Anonymous
| Another vote for letting her shave. Though you say that she's not into her appearance, she is uncomfortable and self-conscious about this issue. What's the harm in letting her shave? PP's suggestion for an electric razor might be a good way to start (I remember starting at around age 10 with one of those round Flicker razors which was supposed to guard against cuts). She will feel so much better about herself, and that alone, is a good reason to help her learn to shave. |
Anonymous
I am the mother of a daughter that is pale and has dark hair. My guess is that your little girl doesn't have to endure the relentless teasing of kids because of this issue. If she did, you might be a little more open minded about it. She is just a kid, but body hair comes in differently on different people. The reason a 10 year old cares is because the teasing can be brutal and if it can help her project a positive body image for herself, why should you find it sad? |
Anonymous
| Take her to get waxed- seriously |
Anonymous
| I started shaving my legs when I was 11 and went to camp for 2 weeks. The girls in my cabin did it so I did it too. All my mom said was that now I was going to have to do it for the rest of my life as she shook her head. Just let her do it. |
Anonymous
| In my house the decision would be her body, her choice. But I would recommend Nair or waxing. |
Anonymous
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If you are okay with her shaving then get her started - but educate her first. Tell her how shaving works, tell her she will have to do it every other day for the rest of her life if she wants hairless legs. Tell her she will have to do this on her own, it wikll be her responsibility. Also tell her that hair grows back darker and thicker/more stubby when shaved. This is not a myth despite what some people keep saying, I made that experience as well as all women I know and have asked...it's a very real problem.
If you tell your daughter all there is to know about shaving and she still wants to do it then teach her how. If after all the explaining she realizes that it's just stupid to do all that so some jerks like her then congrats to her. Whatever you do about the shaving, also do something about the teasing. It bothers your daughter enough so she feels the need to change her appearance. Talk to a teacher or counselor and let your daughter know that teasing someone about anything is wrong and will not be tolerated. You CAN NOT send the message that yes honey we will make you look nice because those legs really are ugly! |
Anonymous
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Teach her to shave.
My mom tried to make this into a rite of passage and was going to make me wait until I was 13. Even while she encouraged me to shave my pits. It sucked...I was made fun of, I felt ugly, etc. She finally relented about 18 months early. |
Anonymous
| I am not going to read any of the responses, OP. Here is my two-cents: let her shave her legs. Why not? |
Anonymous
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My mom made me wait until I went to middle school, so around 12 years old I think. That was after begging and getting her to reduce it from the original rule of 13. I was pale with blond hair, but it was thick. All the other girls had nice smooth legs, and I had albino woolies. It sucked.
When my sister started cheerleading in 5th grade, my mom asked my opinion about if she'd been too harsh and if she should let my sister shave earlier than she chose to let me. I said without a doubt, she had to let her shave if she was going to be in front of the whole school in a short skirt. She finally relented and lifted the shaving ban on her when my sister called her at work in years because of something another girl said at practice. I wound up helping her shave her legs the first time. It was a fun bonding moment and we still laugh about it now, 20 years later. My mom has apologized to us both for being so rigid over something so silly. My kids also have pale skin and fair hair, but when they asked to remove the hair I showed them how to do it. I isn't make a big deal about it. I think my oldest was 9 and my youngest was 8 when they started. Both of them are still good students, they didn't turn to drugs or prostitution, and no one has lost a leg, so I think it was an okay decision 
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