4 year old wants me to shave her legs

[mrsworrypot]

Help! My 4 year old daughter is suddenly refusing to wear dresses without tights or leggings. She is complaining that she hates the hairs on her legs (they are so fine, it's impossible to see them!) she said that people will laugh at her and asked me to shave them off!! I'm heartbroken, she is 4! What on earth should I say to her to make her stop worrying? This is not something a 4 year old should be thinking about! Feel
So sad she feels this way.

That's so sad! I feel for you. Do you think somebody has said something about her leg hairs, or has she overheard someone moaning about their own body hair and thinks it's something to worry about?

Dd2 used to hate the hairs on her arms at that age. She would sit them picking at them and shouting "get them off me". Nothing she'd heard or seen, just she hated them.

She's now into her teens and does sometimes shave her legs, but really isn't too worried if she forgets.

I used to just point out that we all had hairs all over and show her I had them too.

Yeah it's heartbreaking. I have said that everyone has hairs but she says that she just doesn't like them and won't let anyone see them. I just wish I knew what would make her feel it wasn't an 'issue' It's hard to know what to say to her. She has stopped wearing shorts too.

I would gently point out that all humans have hair both male and female. I would also make a point of showing her others who have hair but make nothing of it, simple raise her awareness of how normal it is. Do you thinks she's seen you shaving maybe and just wants to copy mummy? Maybe you can say something like ' people only shave when they get to adulthood and they get really hairy'. There are lots of body books suitable for a 4 year old which will show the human body and explain hairs on the body in a way she can understand. I would always play it down and not give the topic too much attention as it will only make it a bigger issue. You could also use distraction onto another topic completely as soon as she says anything about hairy legs. Anything totally random and unrelated works. If she want to wear tights let het but don't relate it to hairy legs in any way. She will probably grow out of it.

If she was 8 then I'd be answering differently but 4 years old!

Do you know where she's got this idea that hair is bad from?