My 12 year old has been begging for gel for more than a year and the answer is a hard NO. She can paint them any color she wants and though I hate them, she sometimes wears those awful fake nails from Claire’s or wherever. I refuse to buy them; she uses gift cards or birthday money. The teachers at school have said they don’t like them bc the kids can’t type with them but they won’t outright outlaw them (wish they would!).

I had a rule that she couldn’t wear them to school but ofc she snuck them and put them on behind my back, so what can you do??! They fell out of favor for awhile, now they’re back in. She’s also an athlete and I know they’re hard to play in, but her drive to prove me wrong is stronger than her willingness to take them off. Lol

But gel? Maybe when she graduates. I had them when I was in my 20s and they ruined my nails for a good year. I’m sure the process is better now, but still not willing to go there for a kid so young. My kid also loves having her hair done and Lulu, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Your nails are permeable and what you put on them does get absorbed by the body. Gel manicures are also unhealthy due to the UV light used to cure the coating. For your health, you shouldn't make it a regular habit.

I let my oldest get gel nails for her senior prom and her graduation. It's really drummed into her that it's a rare thing, and she slathered her hands in sunscreen before beginning her appointment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would object to a kid having acrylics based on cost alone.

THIS.

It is an expense but she doesn’t get near the amount of clothes and “self care” (i.e. face masks and lotions from Sephora or Ulta) that her sister does, so I just count this as her indulgence. It’s our bonding time too, she shows me the designs she’s picked out on Pinterest and asks my opinion, and we go together and pick a podcast that we each have an earbud for.

...and ... I'm still gonna object based on cost alone.

I get it, but we are financially very comfortable and I get joy from being able to do things for/with my kids that my family couldn’t afford when I was that age.

That's not the point, though, right? We can afford a lot of things, too, but at some point it's just unseemly. I want my daughter to grow up with a good head on her shoulders, and spending $100 on acrylic nails for a 6th grader feels debatable at best.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would object to a kid having acrylics based on cost alone.

THIS.

It is an expense but she doesn’t get near the amount of clothes and “self care” (i.e. face masks and lotions from Sephora or Ulta) that her sister does, so I just count this as her indulgence. It’s our bonding time too, she shows me the designs she’s picked out on Pinterest and asks my opinion, and we go together and pick a podcast that we each have an earbud for.

...and ... I'm still gonna object based on cost alone.

I get it, but we are financially very comfortable and I get joy from being able to do things for/with my kids that my family couldn’t afford when I was that age.

That's not the point, though, right? We can afford a lot of things, too, but at some point it's just unseemly. I want my daughter to grow up with a good head on her shoulders, and spending $100 on acrylic nails for a 6th grader feels debatable at best.

It’s nails, not a Birkin bag. It’s also not close to $100 even for a full set, let alone a fill in. The expense is a long way from what I would actually consider unseemly. We are UMC, it is what it is. Some of the other kids have Lululemon wardrobes and multiple pairs of Jordan’s, etc. This is her indulgence.

I’m the other poster and agree, it was nowhere near $100 for her full set. Not even close.

I am an adult whose nails are always done and I just wanted to clarify some info for other moms who may not be current on nails (a lot has changed in the last 5-10 years).
1) nail techs do not use uv lights to cure anymore. They can achieve this with LED lights, which are not harmful the way UV can be
2) regular gel, when applied and removed by a good nail tech, does not damage your nails. The tech should never file the top layer of nail bed before application. Some do, you should avoid this.
3) older nail techs may still be working with acrylics but it’s not the best for the nail and kind of outdated. The more current extensions are gel x or builder nails. Gel x is soak off like gel, and you don’t mess with your nail bed to apply/remove, and there’s no fill-ins/upkeep. I’ve always thought acrylics look fake/tacky but the gel x look much more real/natural.
4) there’s also all kinds of press on nail products that look way better than the lee press on nails of our youth.
5) there is also dip. It’s your regular nail, dipped in a pot, hardens like gel. I have avoided this bc the color selection is more limited and I think dipping fingers into a communal pot of product is more ripe for bacteria than gel or regular polish, but people who like it are very happy.
I have sons who aren’t into this so I can’t speak about age/appropriateness, but just wanted to lend info because other previous posters had some opinions based on outdated info.

I hate acrylics for any age but yes I’ve seen 12 and younger kids get them. Mine started doing them frequently (for events - but so many things seem like an event) in 9th grade so that would have been at 13. My only rules are that I won’t pay for them and if they get dirty they have to go.

Before that, press ons and polish were popular.

Anonymous wrote:Mine can paint fingers and toes any color she wants, but no fake nails.

+1. Designs and polish stickers like color street are fine too. But no fake nails.

Anonymous wrote:Acrylics and gel ruin your nails. I stopped doing them myself as an adult because the toxic fumes and thin nails were just too much. I wouldn’t let my pre-pubescent DD get them done with any regularity.

+1

I let mine do longer nails than I think is attractive, stylish, or I don’t know, a more classic style, and don’t always like her polish selection and she sometimes wears fake nails (just the stick on, not acrylic salon ones). I voice/enforce standards on other things like clothing and she doesn’t “get” to wear make up yet (or have a phone) so I decided to let the nails slide a bit. They are neat and well groomed if not to my taste….

Acrylics and gel ruin your nails. I stopped doing them myself as an adult because the toxic fumes and thin nails were just too much. I wouldn’t let my pre-pubescent DD get them done with any regularity.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would object to a kid having acrylics based on cost alone.

THIS.

It is an expense but she doesn’t get near the amount of clothes and “self care” (i.e. face masks and lotions from Sephora or Ulta) that her sister does, so I just count this as her indulgence. It’s our bonding time too, she shows me the designs she’s picked out on Pinterest and asks my opinion, and we go together and pick a podcast that we each have an earbud for.

...and ... I'm still gonna object based on cost alone.

I get it, but we are financially very comfortable and I get joy from being able to do things for/with my kids that my family couldn’t afford when I was that age.

That's not the point, though, right? We can afford a lot of things, too, but at some point it's just unseemly. I want my daughter to grow up with a good head on her shoulders, and spending $100 on acrylic nails for a 6th grader feels debatable at best.

It’s nails, not a Birkin bag. It’s also not close to $100 even for a full set, let alone a fill in. The expense is a long way from what I would actually consider unseemly. We are UMC, it is what it is. Some of the other kids have Lululemon wardrobes and multiple pairs of Jordan’s, etc. This is her indulgence.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would object to a kid having acrylics based on cost alone.

THIS.

It is an expense but she doesn’t get near the amount of clothes and “self care” (i.e. face masks and lotions from Sephora or Ulta) that her sister does, so I just count this as her indulgence. It’s our bonding time too, she shows me the designs she’s picked out on Pinterest and asks my opinion, and we go together and pick a podcast that we each have an earbud for.

...and ... I'm still gonna object based on cost alone.

I get it, but we are financially very comfortable and I get joy from being able to do things for/with my kids that my family couldn’t afford when I was that age.

That's not the point, though, right? We can afford a lot of things, too, but at some point it's just unseemly. I want my daughter to grow up with a good head on her shoulders, and spending $100 on acrylic nails for a 6th grader feels debatable at best.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would object to a kid having acrylics based on cost alone.

THIS.

It is an expense but she doesn’t get near the amount of clothes and “self care” (i.e. face masks and lotions from Sephora or Ulta) that her sister does, so I just count this as her indulgence. It’s our bonding time too, she shows me the designs she’s picked out on Pinterest and asks my opinion, and we go together and pick a podcast that we each have an earbud for.

...and ... I'm still gonna object based on cost alone.

I get it, but we are financially very comfortable and I get joy from being able to do things for/with my kids that my family couldn’t afford when I was that age.

Anonymous wrote:In 6th grade, I let my daughter paint her nails whenever she wanted. Sometimes they would put on press on nails at sleepovers but they never lasted long.

Now she’s 12 and just started 7th and I hate that I’m typing this but she has acrylics, as do all of her friends. I let her get them recently for middle school. She’s an athlete and they are fairly short ones. I was also shocked at the price since I never had them myself.

My DD with the nails is an athlete too. It’s not a sport where nails impact it at all, and a lot of her older teammates have them.

I'm more worries about how bad they are for nails than the expense.