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 what I would say is a grown up 9, she also is still into squishmallows, arts and crafts etc. she may enjoy the odd lipgloss but isn't interested in make up etc at all. I find it quite sad girls that young are already so focused on their appearance! I wouldn't say that is normal to be honest.

My oldest is 15 and would still love squishy / anime surprise bags / fidget toys / rocks! I bought them a giant plush goose for their 15th birthday.

Sounds like other kids are watching too many tiktok influencers!

You can change your vote by clicking on the one you want.

I was just wondering how would they know about these products???
Some women can be so weird why try and make you feel ‘off’ for your choice of secret Santa?! I really hate that behaviour so pointless?!! I’m 37 and I bought myself a mermaid the other day! 😂 I’ve two ds and wanted something that wasn’t on wheels to play with!

@Lostmymarbles25
It's for the mums 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I dont think being into that stuff is unusual at all, fandom types are common but its more 'alt' and 'nerdy' than 'popular' and 'trendy'.

Your child is normal and sounds lovely. Rocks are cool! Really troubling that 9 year olds are so focused on their appearance that they have heard of skincare brands.

Your DD is totally normal, the others are way too mature for their age.

@Sartre It's not "mature", though, is it? Just shallow and a little tacky. I think part of the problem is seeing an obsession with your appearance as being "grown up" rather than slightly pitiable.

Madness, what children like face cream? Your daughter sounds like me. Rocks were my favourite presents, now I'm a geologist 😂

Sephora? Elephant what now?

Yes, I'm a terrible old fart. But my twenty-year-old wouldn't ask for that stuff now, never mind when she was in Y5. I'd think the face cream gang were the unusual ones, and it's not something I'd be inclined to encourage.

So much of this is down to marketing aimed at a very young age range, bright colours, catchy names, SM presence, brands can go from nothing to on trend overnight with the right marketing, my DD is a SM manager and it's amazing how fast trends,brands can rise

www.drunkelephant.co.uk/gb/en/
very much for a young customer base

Your child is totally normal and so will the majority of 8/9yr olds be!

But sadly, some parents allow their children social media and much too young an age! I’m afraid the other children are already totally obsessed with TikTok and skincare “influencers” and probably now want to be “influencers” themselves so try to copy all the trends!

p.s Drunk elephant is actually really good, maybe put some on your own Christmas list. Definitely not supposed to be marketed for tweens and children lol

Why is it always assumed girls are into all the same thing, 99% of the time it is 'girlie' things according to most parents, not all boys are into the same things so are they basically saying all girls have no imagination? And are one collective hive mind?

Sad and weird of the other parents. Dd7 was at her dance club and other mothers with dds the same age, turning 7 or 8 had given them white trainers as that was what they most wanted. How odd to be so aware of fashion and beauty at that age.

She prefers a paint set to face cream? She sounds a lot better adjusted, and possibly even more grown-up, than the ones who want face cream.

@BananaPyjamaLlama

you can just go back and change your vote (as many times as you like)

Children this age shouldn't be interested in cosmetics. When I read this I was quite shocked that you said year 5, I was expecting this to be a post about year 8 or 9's. I've taught all of these age ranges and your daughter is not falling behind, these other girls are interested in things way too old for them and it's probably because they have unrestricted access to YouTube and tik tok. Be pleased your little girl is still a little girl, I was playing with barbies untill I was 12 🤷🏼‍♀️, children re growing up too fast nowerdays.

My daughter is about to turn 12, she is still playing with lego and barbies! For her birthday she's asked for a laptop and some red canvas shoes. She likes getting new clothes but has no knowledge or interest in what's fashionable or "on trend" and as far as make-up goes she occasionally puts on a bit of sparkly eyeshadow and mascara. I can't imagine she'd be in the least bit interested in face creams or skin care at the moment, she'd probably be disappointed as fuck to get something like that as a present!

My DD is nearly 18 and would be happy with most of the things you said your DD would like and would not have a clue what the face cream was. She had no problems during in and had a good group of friends at school and college

My DD is 12 (Y8) and at 9 she liked nail varnish and had just had her ears pierced so she liked pretty earrings but not face creams or anything like that!
She's now just getting into proper make up, she's had eye shadows and lip glosses for a while but is just starting to want foundation and mascara! She still isn't bothered for face creams though! I also Childmind and none of my Y6 girls are into face creams or make up, theyd be more likely to want books or craft sets/stationery etc...

This depends on the parents. Parents that encourage girls into sports / activities / academics tend to have daughters who are interested in a broad range of things. as stuff like that develops self-esteem. The ones who don’t give a toss have kids who use social media as a parent substitute and will focus on just how they look. It’s awful

The thing is kids who like anime, funko pops, slime and all of that type of stuff are just as influenced by their peers/social media/YouTube as the face cream girls. It's rare that any of these likes/dislike happen in a vacuum. My dd is 13 but all the anime girls hang out together and make their anime tiktoks, they all dress I the same kind of style and have the same kind of haircuts just the same way the girls who like make up and skin care tend to make the same type of tiktoks and dress the same etc. Each group has their own 'idols' and all of that type of thing.

If the OP said her kid was really into dried flowers then maybe there would be a point there in saying she isn't influenced at all but anime is just as marketed as beauty/fashion is.

My DD 14.5 isn't on TikTok and wouldn't know any of these brands. I don't know these brands! Spending a fortune on face cream when Nivea does the job just fine is boring to me and I guess for her too. She still likes a good squishy or a Huggy and I'm happy to support that. They grow up too fast and it's not healthy. They don't have the emotional resilience to be dealing with stuff that's based on how they look. She has a bit of make up but doesn't really like wearing it. She's lucky that she has a tight group of girl friends around her who are not conventional like that or much bothered by fashion and looks. Girls are sexualised way too young. I'm happy to support her maturing at her own rate, to enjoy being a kid with a love of soft toys and to lean away from being obsessed about her body or looks or comparing herself to others. That's only going to end badly for a lot of kids doing that when they're just 9 or 10.

There is no normal really, different girls are into different things…theres nothing to be shocked about it’s only a face cream etc.