Thursday, June 24, 2010

To shave or not to shave

I'm not talking about Joe, or me. I'm talking about my sweet 8 year old daughter Winter.

Recently she has started to ask me when she can start shaving her legs. She has very blond hairs, but they are long. I know exactly how she feels. Except that I didn't feel that way until I was at least 12 years old. I don't think I even noticed my leg hairs before that. But I do remember that when I was ready to shave, I got embarrassed about the hair. It was blond too, but also long. My mom kept telling me that if I shaved, it would grow in darker, and that I would regret shaving. It never grew in darker, and I never regretted shaving. I've gotten a little more lacks about my shaving habits the past few years, especially during the winter months.

I know there are some strong opinions out there about these kinds of issues. What I'm trying to figure out myself, is what the negatives are.

It'll take time, but if she wants to spend it, fine.
Money: inconsequential
maintaining "young girl" innocence: ?? is that really an issue?

So here I sit, wondering if I would be such a horrible mom for saying yes. If it'll boost her confidence, what's the big deal? I was glad to get rid of my jungle...

4 comments:

Nancy Sabina said...

Oh, man. This is a tricky one! I don't have a strong opinion about it either, so I'll be interested to see what you decide. I am all about keeping young girls young, but I also can relate to that feeling of being embarrassed by something like your leg hairs. I don't remember what age I was when I started, but I'm pretty sure it was in Texas, so I must have been around 12. ...Tricky, tricky, tricky... Good luck making the right decision for Winter!

Wendy said...

I say ... if she asks, and you are ok with it, why not! Also don't make a big deal about it, that way she can decide if she wants to keep doing it or not. Also warn her about the sharpness of the blades so she doesn't end up with bloody legs!

Catherine M. said...

I say no to my kids with a chuckle and let them know that they'll be shaving soon enough. Then i reassure them that their legs are beautiful with the hair. Same thing for when Lille begs for a bra and prays for bosoms. Let winter get over it and enjoy being too young to worry. Who would she be shaving for anyways?

angela michelle said...

i say wait. all that stuff will come soon enough. let her be a low-maintenance girl.

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