Is this really what primary school kids are like?

[HopelesslyNaive98]

Colleague’s child recently had their 8th birthday. Photos they posted showed child receiving make up from fairly pricy brands (ie. Sephora, Benefit etc.), beauty blenders snd similar, Uggs, and a Stanley cup. Birthday outing appeared to involve having make up done in store, more make up shopping, and clothes shopping in teen/adult focused shops.

Don’t get me wrong, I was desperate to put on a bit of make up as a little girl but it was a bit of body glitter and some lip gloss that came free with a Top of the Pops magazine. Equally clothes were Gap Kids and H&M, not River Island and Lipsy.

My kids are 7 and 6 so maybe I’m just totally naive about what’s to come. I just thought there was a few more years of childhood left!

I'm not sure if this is typical but I get the impression it is and thank god my DD is an adult now. I wish kids could just be kids for a bit longer.

It’s sad but quite common.

There’s always one child in the class that’s ’grown Up’ and a mini version of their parents but most 8year old still like Barbie, Claire’s and having a bed time story!

Some are. I wouldn't say it's all of them at all, we still have plenty of pony loving, tree climbing girls around here but there are some who have been very "tiktoked".

I think there is a lot of social media influence here - if young girls have access to tiktok or instagram they will see a lot of content in the form of 'get ready with me' and 'my daily routine' type videos, all using expensive brands. It normalises the idea that young people should be using these things. When I was young there was advertising for luxury makeup brands of course, but they weren't targeted at kids the way social media can be.

I think it's fine and important to resist it, even when kids are asking for it. An eight year old girl will destroy her skin barrier using harsh products, and it's a lot of money for something objectively unnecessary.

When I saw "birthday", I thought you were going to post about 8yos being a bunch of little savages who caused mayhem, walloped each other and trashed the party venue.

No, this is not what 8yos are like ime. Lots of them are still fairly feral, high-spirited and boisterous, but the ones I know are still playing games like "Let's try to hit each other with our bags. 10 points for a direct hit" rather than doing skin care and prancing around in expensive gear.

Have you been in SpaceNK at all recently??

River island do have a pretty good kids section so that wouldn’t phase me, but I am uncomfortable with the whole makeup/designer brands things, and the emphasis on being beautiful feels like the child is being sexualised. I know someone who keeps posting pics of her 11yo DD in crop tops and bikinis with a full face of makeup and I’m a bit 😬 about that too. They’re grown ups for a long time. Let them be kids while they still can.

I think it’s a lot more common these days. Just to add balance though it’s my DD 11th birthday today and she has had Lego and some Pokémon stuff, football kit.

I don’t think young kids should be putting that sort of skincare on their face either, it’s not needed and could well damage the skin depending on what it is in it!

for some reason some people seem in a rush for their kids to grow up.

Not around here, I imagine (possibly without reason) that this is more common in cities and built up places, but I've not seen it at all personally. It's always sad when people rush their children to leave their childhood behind.

Only the ones whose parents don’t control their social media access appropriately.

My friends like this with her girl. It makes me really sad. I feel like childhood is gone so quickly. I have two boys 3 and 5 and the 5 year old is ‘young’. I hope he stays like this

Nope! Any 8th birthday we’ve been to or seen has involved Lazer quest or footy party or swimming etc for those who have some ££ and party at home or in the park playing games and eating picnic bits from a supermarket!
Thats both boys and girls.

Ellie Penfold (ex wife of Jermaine Jenas) launched a children's personal care brand last year - firmly aimed at young girls.

I would seriously judge any parent buying all that shite for a child - it’s more about the parents than the kid.

Haha no.

that’s from and about the parents

I work with 8-10yos.
"Stanley" cups are common (i think most of them are copies though.
"Skincare" routines exist... but it seems to be moisturiser sort of thing rather than expensive products (meanwhile we are explaining to the boys why they have to bring soap with them camping!)
Make up, phones etc are not common at all. Mostly the "social media" is Roblux etc, not TikTok or Instagram with that age group.
The Yr6s might have a messaging app like WhatsApp

My son is 8 at the weekend and I also have a 10 year old daughter. A couple of my daughters friends are like this but mostly not and thankfully she isn't interested in any of it. For her birthday she got skateboard gear and knitting yarn 😂

None of the girls in my son's class are into any of that, they're very much still into glitter and pink things!

Perhaps area dependent, perhaps about the amount of free reign online.

My daughter is year 7 and has just turned 11 and she wasn’t into make up etc when she was 8, apart from a bit of glitter eyeshadow etc. I think when she was 7 she would have got Lego, crafts etc from friends when she was 8. I have just looked back and she had a climbing party. There was probably 1-2 girls who was into that stuff but definitely the minority.

I teach Year 6 and none of the girls are remotely interested in this stuff. Netball / Football / Manga drawing / Dance of all kinds / a couple of pony-mads / writing long and convoluted sub-Potter stories are the main girl interests here.

Last year it was very Swiftie, and I had one girl who wore make up, but very unusual.

We are a school who continually bang on to the parents about avoiding social media, though, so perhaps not representative.

Not the ones I know, I think the kids and parents would be completely baffled if I brought skincare or makeup as a present for one of their daughters at that age.

Not here. DD is turning 8 soon. Parties for already turned 8 in her year have been village halls, trips to wildlife parks and sleepovers. DD likes a scented lipbalm but has no concept of any skincare shit and will be staying that way as long as possible.

There's one girl in the class who started doing skincare and making videos about it at 6. The others aren't interested and the parents are a mixture of baffled and horrified.

I feel sorry for that kid quite frankly.

There were always girls like that in my dds’ classes. It was tragic mums who wanted to be the ‘not a regular mom I’m a cool mom’ and give their daughters the grown up ‘in thing’ before anyone else. The girls themselves probably would’ve been just as happy with a pizza night sleepover and some playing at make up and nails.

As they got older, the issue with the show off all-about-me mum manifests in ways that all those expensive presents can never compensate for.

No this is not what children are like
My child is 12 and was and isn't like this.
Likes none of those things

DD just turned 10 and neither she nor any of her friends are like this (not school friends or friends from clubs/activities outside of school).