Our little girl has a relatively large and noticeable brown birthmark on one of her limbs, (trying not to out self!).
Since she was born (she's a preschooler now), we have been very certain that we would never consider having it removed for cosmetic reasons, and that it is simply part and parcel of who she is (which it is!). We are very aware that this is not a health issue and that we are fortunate that our child is well and healthy.
We've never covered her birthmark up or made any particular comment on it, and I want to make very clear here that we (obviously) have absolutely no issue with it in terms of its appearance - we would never dream of hiding it or feeling ashamed or anything along those lines.
But as she gets older, we are becoming more and more worried that other children will make fun of her, and that this will cause her upset. We are also worried that if she gets comments on it, it might put her off 'exposing' it which could put her off being active / sporty / swimming etc due to the clothes needed etc. In an ideal world we would love for her to be confident enough to just say 'Yeah, it's my birthmark, no big deal', but we worry this might be horribly idealist.
Can anyone share their experiences of how their children have managed with visible birthmarks please? Do other kids tend to take them in their stride or do they provide a focus for bullying? How do you help your children to deal with any unpleasant comments?
We are beginning to wonder whether we would consider having it removed (if doctors would even agree to it) IF and only if she herself ever wanted that and was old enough to understand the notion fully. But that seems like such a defeatist solution, not to mention clinically unnecessary.
Please help us unwrap this in our minds. Thank you.