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.

I recently had someone I know take an 11 year old into Sephora and buy Drunk Elephant for them. I actually couldn't believe what I was seeing! Outrageous. Of course, no social media control in that house either.

My year 5 daughter (and her friendship group) are into horses and playmobil. They acknowledge their is a 'handbag girls' friendship group in their year, who are into make up etc, but it's not for them. (Thankfully!)

Sephora at 9!? Kids these days haha

I work in Superdrug and the amount of 9/10yr olds that come in asking for different brands of face creams is unbelievable “elephant” has definitely been one of them! I have children and I have two stepdaughters, my stepdaughter is 11 and is now just getting into wearing body mists and perfumes otherwise she loves anime plushies! Pretty much anything anime she loves, she also likes to have her nails done and ordering clothes off SHEIN!

if I got her face creams for Christmas she would be gutted 😂😂!!

I do see a lot of the younger girls in work coming in after school asking for advise on which one is best etc.. I always think your skin is so young! There’s no need! Often it’s “because they’ve seen the face cream on TikTok trending”.. TikTok influences alot!

If I had to guess, I would say they are watching too many influencers. it is not unusual for girls that age to start wanting makeup and creams, but usually they still want stuffed animals and other types of toys.
If you were to get her a cream, go for a face cream with as high as spf as you can get. Never to early to protect from skin cancer risks.

FFS! That is all!

My 9 year old (year 5) is similar to yours.

Loves small figures like pokemon. Loves Squishmallows, Lego and Minecraft.

Her friends like Roblox (I don't let DD play it) and similar.

Her Brownies friends seem similar to her as do school friends. I only know one into Tiktok/Skin Care but she's the youngest of 5 sisters so thats where it's from I think.

I don’t understand how any kids can be ‘into’ designer make up, or skin care brands without a parent facilitating it.

we can blame social media all we like but at the end of the day it’s the parents handing over the cash and feeding the hype.

drunk elephant isn’t a cheap brand, what type of secret Santa is this?!

especially in this COLC and with actual, you know, family and friends to buy for. You know the parents will end of stealing this skincare as it’s designed for adult skin!

Some of the things I read on MN amaze me.
even for my work do we have a £5 SS budget

Its madness.

A friends 11 year old daughter is like this, her dark hair is dyed blond, fake talon nails, face full of make up, Which is an expensive brand and false eyelashes. ( even for school !)
All paid for by parents as obviously too young to pay herself.

She thinks my girls are strange as they are older but don’t wear make up or get their nails done, Never had their hair dyed at the hairdresser etc.

We were talking about Christmas and she told me her daughter likes a certain body spray and I should get her some to go with her gift. It’s £20 for a tiny can !

At that age I wanted book tokens, a range of good quality coloured pencils, as wide as possible, a good knife (banned now), craft materials.

My Dd is nine shes would wants teddies,arts stuff books bath bombs ect she moisturises her skin twice a day including face cream is this not normal?

Your child sounds like mine and the rest sound like half her class! I recall when she was in nursery and eldest in y2 a lot of the y2 parents brought in their old dolls (baby and barbie types) to donate t the nursery as their kids no longer play with dolls!! Mine was still carrying hers everywhere and hadn’t graduated to Barbie dolls (she never did though). They were all wanting fashion items and makeup from y3 upwards. My now 14 year old still has no care to wash her face or wear make up. Youngest y7 still does loads of arts and craft and buys more squishies than anyone can imagine!! Those parents are the kind who either want their kids to grow up as mini them or they have older siblings who are influencing them to grow up!!

I have twins. At 9 one would have loved makeup (though not face cream and not Sephora because it’s so expensive and she’d prefer more, less expensive stuff). The other liked soft toys and slime. They both had lots of other interested too. Now they’re 15 and the make up one is a bit more discerning about make up, still likes it but less obsessed. The soft toy one still loves soft toys and slime but has a slight interest in make up. They both still have lots of other interests.

Kids are varied, but also fairly aware of social pressure. So if all the kids your DD socializes with are interested in face cream I would start looking to broaden her social group. She isn’t falling behind, but that doesn’t mean she won’t feel out of place.

Your daughter, or any child, is allowed to be different.

My 13yo dd wouldn't have a clue what any of those brands were. My 11yo dd has specifically asked for these type brands. So, for anyone thinking it's on the parents, it's not. They've been brought up the same way, 1 loves the IN brands, the other doesn't care.

Your daughter sounds absolutely normal. My daughter is 11 and all her friends are still into slime , crafts , cuddly toys ,Lego ,lol dolls and harry potter . Might have to do with the fact they attend a smallish country school though as I've friends who live in large towns etc and their daughters the same age are into makeup toiletries nails and lashes . None of my daughter's friends have mobile phones or access to tiktok/Instagram either which Im sure plays a massive part too . Children are growing up way too fast these days

My daughter (10) sent me a link to her Christmas wish list yesterday, on it were the expected beads, craft stuff, clothes & squishmallows. Then Bubble skincare! I work for Boots so I’m pretty familiar with skincare brands but this was a new one on me, apparently only this or drunk elephant will do 😳 It was swiftly followed by a conversation about how she was blessed with good genetics & the own brand stuff was just as good. She’s delighted with the glow products I produced for her & is planning to use the remaining money for a mummy daughter spa day 🥰

Wow that sounds like my almost 16 year olds wish list. At 9 it was Disney princess dresses or craft sets. Your dd is not unusual!

It's peer pressure. My 10yo DD doesn't have a phone or any access to social media and her internet access at home is closely supervised. However she's completely obsessed with skincare and beauty brands I've never heard of and that are never mentioned at home. It can only come from her friends at school, definitely not facilitated by her parents!

Your daughter sounds like mine… normal in her uniqueness & trailblazing her own path.
My LG also loves Anime - One Piece, JoJo’s Bizarre adventures & Studio Ghibli movies are her current fixations - fidget toys, possibly ADHD, Squishmallows & art equipment.
I I suggested face cream to my LG she’d laugh in my face & ask if I was crazy because she hates washing her face let alone putting stuff on it.

The ‘friends’ group sound immature, superficial & not very nice because if they were any sort of friends differences in their tastes & wants would not make a difference!

Lots of children are watching TikTok & other platforms - despite being underage for the platforms - & being influenced by them.

Your child will find her tribe & when she does they will accept her for who she is not what she likes & doesn’t like.
Please don’t try to push her to be someone she isn’t to fit in with fake people.

Oh my God! My daughter is the same as yours! Age 8 - Summer baby as well so one of the youngest in her class! She wouldn’t ever ask me for any of this crazy nonsense! What business do 8 and 9 year olds have wanting a Dior lip oil!! That’s a present for me, thank you! I say keep them young as long as they want to be - you literally never ever get this time back!!! X

They sound like an entitled bunch. I've never met a child who didn't want a squishy or a reversible octopus. Right up to Y11. It sounds like these Mums want the vouchers themselves 😂

Mine still has the fleece blanket and pink light up plastic pineapple from Y6 and Y7 secret Santa's.

Anime stuff sounds great to me too. I love anything Miku, Sanrio or Sailor Moon personally so I would be overjoyed to receive any of that. I currently own a Pompompurin bath sponge for example. Hello Kitty or Moomins or something like that.

I used to say Claire's makeup but all the asbestos stories put me off!

I think the Mums are being lazy or possibly ignorant about the hearts of Y5 kids. It's all about glitter, fluff and squish.

Your daughter is the normal one. Nine year old girls already into makeup and creams from Sephora?? Really? I think that’s very bizarre. They should still be playing with toys at that very young age. Why the push to sexualize little girls and little boys? As if they’re older than they are? It reminds me of the beauty pageant girl who was killed. She was wearing makeup when she was six, I think that’s nuts. Let children be children. If they want to play with mom’s makeup fine of course that’s normal but to be so taken with it that they want to wear it and get it for themselves as a matter of course as if they’re teens or adults. No.

Yep, but with cheap makeup, not makeup from Sephora.