WIBU to remove a child's eyebrow hair?

[AlexanderandPie]

Asking for a friend. Child is 6. Thanks.

My 6yo DD has similar, not quite as noticeable.

To date she couldn't care less. But if she does I fully intend to help her. A tiny dab of hair removal cream just where they meet won't hurt her. But her worrying about being teased might.

Totally depends on child's attitude. If they want it, separate the brows in the least traumatic way possible. If the child isn't concerned and it's adults who have noticed and urged action, ignore completely. If it's done for the child, treat procedure as "normally" as a haircut - in fact, do both on the same day to "normalise" it for the child. It's vital to keep emotion out of it and the child thinks it's no big deal and just ordinary personal grooming like baths, haircuts, cutting nails etc.

It depends what the child wants.

My DS(3) Is rocking a monobrow already (50% Mediterranean) which I sometimes look at and think "he's going to turn into a werewolf soon". But around here (East London) there's a real racial mix including South Asian, Turkish and other groups whose boys seem completely confident about having massive eyebrows. Maybe DS won't even consider it to be an issue - I hope so!

You haven't said why?

I would remove it if the child doesn't like it or is being teased or something. Actually, you know, I probably would just remove it anyway. It is simple and easy to do.

It is massively hypocritical if adults woudl remove their own monobrow, but wouldn't do it for their child.

I'm wondering, for those of you who would remove it, what age you would start?

I sported a monobrow right up until I was 11/12, by which time I was getting a fair bit of teasing and I desperately wanted it gone. Unfortunately I was a total wuss with the idea of plucking, so in the end my mum basically sat on me and did it herself by force! I'm so glad she did, and only wish she'd done it years earlier before the teasing started. I will certainly be doing the same for any children of mine that need it.

Only if he’s being teased / he’s upset and self conscious about it. And just a bit of wax in the middle

I was a very hairy child (and still am) and my mum wouldn't let me remove any hair. I was teased horribly for years and years and I wish she'd just removed it the first time I'd asked. It would have saved me years of embarrassment and hating school. So if the child had asked, yes I would.
I doubt many grown men/women would walk around with excess hair, so why should a child have to?

I am very hairy, I was teased about the thick black hair on my arms and legs in primary school PE. My mum shaved it off for me, after coming home in tears. I wasn’t never teased again and everyone thought it was ‘cool’ actually for shaving my legs. So in some situations it is ok.

Yes I would. If he goes the barbers they will neaten his eyebrows up if you ask.

Yes. In fact I'd go so far as to suggest the Superdrug eyebrow kit and using the small strips at the bottom of each sheet to just carefully do the middle. (Speaking from experience, had a DC who was tired of being called Wolfman etc and took matters into their own hands using a razor unsupervised)

If the child asked then 100% I would remove it.
I had a monobrow and was teased for it, my parents didn't do anything to help it and so inevitably I got the tweezers and the razor and absolutely ruined my eyebrows. I would have much rather my parents had taken me to a professional and had it waxed.
I still would have a monobrow right now if I didn't still pluck/shave it everyday. The rest of my eyebrows are fine now but I have serious hang ups about my monobrow, my OH doesn't even know and there's no way I would let it grow so that I can start getting it waxed so I'm going to have to continue plucking/shaving everyday for the rest of my life.

I so wish I'd have had it waxed initially so I didn't have to do this everyday.

I have been waxing 15yo DS’s monobrow for about a year now. Totally his decision and I would never have offered.

At 6 though? Fuck that noise.

I don't really understand why she is that relevant? If the child is being teased, are they not allowed to be upset by it bears they're under a certain age that you deem acceptable? Yes it's terrible that as a society we care so much about appearance, and I would never push my expectations into a child. But if a child is being bullied, you ant change the way society views excess hair, you can't stop the other children teasing the child, so just get rid of the hair

Bears = because

I cannot agree more with math on this issue. The way to deal with worries about appearance in a 6 year old is to work on resilience and self esteem not to change their appearance.

Qcumber - you're right; the 'character building' aspect of being bullied is overrated IMO. Better to be the parent that listens and helps, than the one who's resented for years for ignoring or enabling bullying.

I would get rid.
As so many others have said kids (and adults, have overheard adults making comments about kids in the same way) are very very cruel and could leave lasting mental scars to the child. More so than a little bit of a wax and a 2 minute solution.

I think it would be reasonable to use a facial hair trimmer on the middle bit, that won't hurt. If the teasing hasn't begun yet it likely will soon, having a unibrow is less common therefore likely to be pointed out by mean kids.

I would be very opposed to someone using tweezers or wax on a child's eyebrows though.

I think it looks cute. The issue is, once you start waxing then the hairs will start growing back at odd angles and after a while it would be very difficult to let it regrow back to this shape.
But as everyone else says - it depends on if the child is getting distressed from comments made about it.
If you did it though - I would find someone who does sugaring as much gentler on the skin.

It looks fine,who is it bothering?

@Tawdrylocalbrouhaha - I waxed my DC monobrow at about 4 years as she was getting teased constantly about it by her friends.

My DS has a mono brow. I don't remember him worrying about it at primary school so neither did we but as soon as he went to senior school the teasing started. Our hairdresser used to be a beautician and she used to wax it for him. He was so relieved. He's 18 now and still gets it but is happy to take himself to our local beauticians to get it waxed. He's talked about looking into electrolysis to try and get rid of it permanently.

If your child isn't worried then you shouldn't be. When the child shows any anxiety over this that's when I would take steps to get it removed. Older kids can be incredibly cruel.