to think 11's too young for leg waxing? (no major visible hair problem)

[needtonamechangeforthis]

yes, ok, will admit, am being totally judgemental here. But 11 FFS? The girl is blonde haired, has very fine downy hair on her legs, but was a little upset about it so has had it waxed, and will continue to have it waxed every 4-6 weeks from now on. Her Mum has posted it very proudly on facebook, and several of us are now faced with same aged girls with similar downy blonde hairs on legs being made to feel (by our DDs) like we're bad mothers cos we won't wax... (disclaimer... we are not talking about very noticeable & embarrassing hairs here, which would be a different matter).

When I was 11 I was very hairy, and wanted to shave. My Mum insisted I didn't need to. It took a year of pestering before I shaved - and of course I was teased mercilessly for my hairiness throughout the year. I wouldn't suggest waxing (I don't do it, because I can't stand the pain), but if a child is really worried by their hair perhaps hair removal cream is a good answer?

I know this child very well, and her legs are/were no hairier than anyone other blonde child that age, so it's highly unlikely she'd have been teased about it. As I said in OP I'd fully understand if she had been unduly hairy or had very dark hairs. What's happening now is that it's making the other girls feel hairy - when they're not at all. Each to their own I suppose and just yet another of the "different ideas in different families" discussions with my DD!

Honestly. That is too young to have a waxing. DD is 13 - she is very blonde, however is very hairy as well and she has been paranoid about her hairy legs for a while, suspect it is from having been teased at school. She has started shaving her legs (using my razor, natch) and has been doing so for about a year.

I really don't see any need in a young girl having their legs waxed. Christ, there is the rest of their adult lives to put up with that pain and faff.

I completely agree that children of 10 or 11 shouldn't be worrying about hairy legs. I was more than a little taken aback when I heard my only just 4 year old DD pretending to shave her legs in the bath last night!

GetOrfMoiLand - genuine question... why do you think it's ok for your DD to shave her legs but not to have them waxed?

TBH I remember shaving mine at about 13.5 - after pleading with my Mum for AGES. I have dark hair, but my legs weren't very hairy, but they were compared to the girls who were already shaving theirs - so total peer pressure. Sadly she agreed in a fit of temper and didn't help at all, I still have the scar on my ankle from the 'first shave'. I wont do that to my daughters. (I don't hold it against my Mum (though I did at the time!! LOL), I can see why she thought I didn't need to, but I wish she'd understood how I felt.

As I was 13, it doesn't suprise me that 11 year olds are begging to do it now, I think it's sad that they are growing up so quickly, but I don't think that stopping them from doing things like this makes them grow up any slower iyswim. I'd like them not to have even thought about it, but once they have - you can't make them 'unthink' about it.

I'm dead hairy and was picked on from 10 and started having my legs done at 15. But 11 does seem too young, especially if the hair is blonde. I can't stand it when mums feel the need to bond through beauty treatments with their dd's. I would have died if my mum had suggested it.

Not too young if she's a competitive swimmer though even they usually start at 13-14. That and modeling are the only reasons that I can think of to shave/wax at 11. OTOH-maybe it's being used by other mum as a right of passage type thing. I would say-you have your entire life to shave/wax and go for a nice mother daughter mani-pedi-perhaps the people at the salon could talk to daughter as well? I mean, really it does seem to be a good segue into changes that you can expect with your bod moving into the teen years-like that fine, blond hair will, in all probability, become coarser and darker and need to be shaved/waxed approximately forever.