AIBU that my child is not the unusual one !

[Lostmymarbles25]

group mum chat today and we were discussing the birthday parties coming up and Christmas ( they do a class secret Santa ) quite a few were suggesting the girls wanted vouchers for Sephora etc for some face cream routine stuff and some kind of elephant cream 😅 they have just gone in to year 5 so mainly 9 approaching 10.
I was explaining that for DD that she would be happy with any sort of squishy / anime surprise bags / fidget toys / rocks. This was described as unusual ?
I don’t think it’s that unusual - she would not know what Sephora is or the difference in face creams !
will she start to fall behind in what her peers are growing in to ? If I suggested face cream for Christmas she would probably cry 😂😂😂
she is not in to her dolls as much anymore but more like Sanrio character / anime figures / slime / fidgets / art sets / rocks / mini brands / mini verse etc
I don’t remember it being this unusual at this age.

My daughter is 7 and wants to be an MUA. She doesn’t watch influencers or tutorials, she’s watched me and it turns out, she’s really good at it.

I never buy her high end makeup or skincare. Never buy it for myself either! We go to Superdrug and get Revolution or something.

That being said, she’d still rather have a Squishmallow or Lego!

Well I'm a 34 year old woman who doesn't know much about anime but I would still prefer the squishy/surprise anime bag to bloody face cream! 9 years old?

When my friends daughter was 9, I bought her a wreck it journal and loads of stickers/funky pens to use with it. If inhad given her vouchers to boots (we don't have a sephora) she would have looked at me like I 2 heads!

I'd say they spend more time on social media than your daughter dies- most if this, and at that age is all soca media/ you tube/ tik tok related marketing to impressionable teenagers, and daft parents who pay ridiculous amounts of money for fad skin care.

And yet again it's women doing this. Always women judging and criticising other females. Yanbu op your dd sounds completely normal.

Former primary teacher here. It honestly depends on the group. Some years we had Year 5 girls who were still quite "young" and loved plushies and figurines, crafts, and fidget toys. Other years, we had girls coming to school with a full face of make-up, fake nails, and talking about videos they posted on TikTok.

Both are normal. I know which I'd prefer if I had a 9-year-old.

My 10 year old loves all the things you mentioned, it’s the other kids that are weird

The more time young girls and women spend on their appearance, the less time they have available for hobbies and sports that make them genuine interesting people. I’d rather poke my own eyes out than encourage my 9 year old to wear expensive face cream and make up. I’d be very vocal about that in the WhatsApp as well.

My 17 year old has just got into Sephora! She earns good money at a part-time job. She would’ve thought those products a ridiculous waste of money before. It’s sad there’s so much pressure now to grow up so young. TikTok is to blame I feel.

Oh yes and my 17 year old still loves plushies!

I’m a mother of teenage boys but do have nieces this post makes me so sad to think that primary school children are already in to face creams and make up they grow up quick enough as it is without them being encouraged by social media or by the sounds of it their own parents. OP enjoy your DD being a child and don’t worry about what others are buying their children I hope your DD gets a gift that she likes.

Wow! Even my 19 year old DD isn't bothered by face creams or make up. She's getting back into cuddly toys again now she's at Uni 🤣🤣 They're all different though. Really pleased mine isn't into expensive brands though. Makes life easier tbh. My DD is happy if she sees a cat walking to campus & it let's her stroke it. 👏

if they are into skin care at this young age will they be into botox and tweakments by the time they are late teens and early twenties? It really bothers me that being so concerned about one's appearance is starting at such a young age. Guess it is all about making money. Sometimes I wander through the massive Boots beauty department where I live and ponder why, with all this stuff available we aren't all wandering around looking like ageless supermodels

Face cream at 9, poor kids.

Your daughter sounds like most of the year 5s I know. Squishmallows, Lego, Claire's jewellery, make up to play around with but rarely touched. I know a couple who are really into make up (watch a lot of make up tutorials on YouTube) but expensive face creams, no.

This.

I can't wait for the trend that eschews this nonsense #LetKidsEnjoyTheirChildhood

Expensive face-creams are definitely not needed for 10 year olds! If they need/want a moisturiser what’s wrong with Simple or Nivea? Sephora and Space NK are laughing all the way to the bank having found an eager new young market (and their mothers) to exploit! Why not condemn them to a lifetime of spending all their money on unnecessary beauty products that make very little difference? I mean sure 👌 f you can afford it … but (stifles her boredom)? What a load of old elephant poo.

I’m over 40 and if someone suggested face cream for me for Christmas, I’d also cry!

I’d much prefer slime or a fidget toy! We’re all different! Sending love! Xxx

DD is 8 and would like a skincare and squishmallows! There’s no way in hell I’d be buying her anything like drunk elephant though, she currently uses a Nivea cleanser and moisturiser and only does it cause she sees me doing skincare. She isn’t allowed tiktok but she does use YouTube and definitely gets a bit of influence there too.

From a teacher perspective, I see more girls like OPs daughter than those into expensive skincare. It really does seem to hinge on the social media they're exposed to.

My dd (12) loved toys, rocks and Claire's make up towards the end of primary school - glittery and colourful! Now she loves a mooch around Superdrug with her friends. She's appalled by the price of Drunk Elephant and would never ask for it - she is a budget queen though!

No I don’t think that’s normal. My child is in year 5 and she plays with Barbies and slyvanians, lego etc
for presents she would like basic make up (like a basic eye shadow palette or a lip gloss -but mainly nail varnish). At sleep overs they’ve done fruit face masks for fun. But nothing serious or a face cream good grief!
A 9 year old can’t be on tik tok without parent providing a phone.. (and not sure why they’d need a phone and even if they did the parent could remove the app) so that’s just an excuse to say it’s because of tik tok like we have no control over that!

Yes I remember spending ages in Superdrug! Haha. As you say - glittery stuff!

The more time young girls and women spend on their appearance, the less time they have available for hobbies and sports that make them genuine interesting people. I’d rather poke my own eyes out than encourage my 9 year old to wear expensive face cream and make up. I’d be very vocal about that in the WhatsApp as well

I don’t know how to quote anymore so will just C&P this which I couldn’t agree with more. My 9yo DD loves Lego, Squishmallows, Jacqueline Wilson books and sports. Thank goodness. (Same goes for almost all the girls in her class, OP.)

No your dd is the "normal" one here 🤣 My dd is the same age and all her and her friends are into squishmallows, fidgets, bracelet making kits, pens/stationery etc. My dd was given skin care for her birthday from a friend of the family and she was utterly bemused as to why anyone would buy her moisturiser and toner.