10yo wants acrylic nails

[MumToTeenAndTween]

She has been asking for them for about a year and obviously it has been a firm “no”. However, her friends in her class have been allowed to get them done! I can’t quite believe that their parents are allowing 10 year olds to get their nails done!! I have seen the nails with my own eyes so I know she’s not bluffing.

I’ve given her plenty of reasons why I am saying no, but she is constantly pestering and saying all the usual “it’s unfair”, “my friends have theirs done an their nails haven’t been ruined”, “you never let me do anything” etc.

Am I the one being unfair??

Has anyone here allowed their 10 year old to get acrylic nails??

Interested to hear others’ opinions on this.

Can she just grow her natural nails if she wants longer nails?

I tried to grow mine at that age but they kept breaking. Now, with a good routine of nail oil, mine are strong and healthy.

I wouldn't even recommend acrylics for grown ups to be honest. They can be really damaging.

DD is nearly 12 and lots of her friends get them, unfortunately she has me as a mum and I’m standing firm on no. She can do press ons with the adhesive glue pad things that peel off but she’s not having the surface of her nails sanded down and acrylic ones glued on.

There are other things I let her do that maybe her friends parents don’t, I’ve always explained it as ‘every parent makes their own decisions on what they will or will not allow. This is my decision, I’m happy to explain why I’ve come to it and to hear your point of view but I won’t be influenced by what Jane’s mum does or doesn’t allow.’

Perhaps have a look at the hygiene of acrylic nails before LOLing so hard? Those fake nails of yours are absolute hives of bacteria and fungi and you cannot wash them properly.

I wouldn't be eating anything you baked when you can't even clean your hands thoroughly and properly after toileting, for example.

Do you think nurses, doctors or kitchen staff in good restaurants have acrylic nails?

Also, one thing you can't do is have your hands submerged for any decent amount of time, so your version of bathing differs from mine.🤷‍♀️

Ew.

No. Stay strong. Explain that your rules are this and they might not always match everyone else's rules for their kids. This is your boundary, you are the grown up and that's that. The amazing thing is is that she'll soon be grown up herself and can do exactly what she wants.

Sitting in the salons having them done exposes people to toxic VOCs, skin irritants and fine dusts. Repeated, prolonged exposures are terrible for adults. Why would you want to expose children to it?

Nope, my nail tech does them but hates them for the damage they do (and the smell!). She also won’t do anything other than polish on under 14s as it invalidates her insurance so all these 10 year olds are getting them done somewhere dodgy!
My DD was asking to get her nails done, we either buy stick on ones, or I paint them for her with kid friendly polish. Only in the holidays though, not allowed for school

Where on earth are kids getting acrylic nails?

Nope. I got mine done for the first time in my early 40s and it was a massive pain in the arse, and needed a lot of of upkeep. I soon stopped.

I sat next to a lovely lady in a nail salon just before Christmas. She was having acrylics. We got chatting and she said the girl next to her was her 12 year old daughter, who she'd brought along to get her nails painted, (not gel) as she felt better and more confident with a bit of colour. This I think was the perfect approach.

Acrylics are insane. Even for adults. They're a total pain, and completely inappropriate for school age. We used to flick marbles across drains at break time in primary school, go on the monkey bars, etc. Imagine them now "oh I can't, I'll break a nail". Insanity.

Acrylic nails at primary school?
How very strange, is this in the U.K? I cannot imagine any school allowing that, is there no uniform policy?

Having caught an acrylic nail a few times, I know the pain underneath as your natural nail is almost torn off can last days or weeks! Forgetting all the other things about hygiene, tackiness, damage to nails, kids being kids etc - that pain alone should remind any woman considering allowing their child to have them to think again! And I have short extensions, barely over the end of my finger, just to minimise biting. I have a ten year old, she’s asked out of curiosity and I’ve just laughed at her - to demonstrate I find it totally absurd for a child. She has stick on nails for holidays and parties. It’s not about being prudish.

Absolute no way would I be allowing this.

And the UV risk as well.

OP, this is part of parenting. Kids push their luck wanting all sorts of things. A whole chunk of parenting is teaching them they just can't have everything they want and see.

There are decisions that are difficult in parenting when you have to say no even though a large part of you would like to say yes.

This isn’t one of them.

Tbh I’d be considering a different school if this is normal in her friendship group. I’d certainly look for new friends.

My favourite parenting quote comes in here - “They have least resistance to a cheerful impersonal ‘No’”.

Absolutely not. She can have acrylics (awful looking things that ruin your natural nails!) when she’s old enough to pay for them herself. Any decent, reputable salon would refuse to touch a 10yo anyway. The furthest I would go with this is a set of gels as a special summer holiday or birthday treat, even then I think primary school is a bit too young!

It’s an easy one. - no.

I doubt a decent salon would do them on a 10 year old or that her school and after school clubs would permit.

I don’t know what’s gone wrong in the last 10 years but if a child turned up at DD’s primary school with acrylics on you would’ve been laughed out of the place and told to get them removed!

DT’s school didn’t allow them at any age.

I don't even get gel manicures these days after some were banned in the EU. I think we should encourage the ban of nails, fake tans, hair dyes on under 18s. They are rapidly growing as teens and the exposure to chemicals is entirely avoidable.

No because;

1. It increases the risk of developing serious allergies (to methacrylates) which will prevent her having certain medical and dental treatments for life and,

1. No reputable salon will be insured for doing acrylics or gels on anyone under 16yrs. Insurance companies won’t cover them so if there’s a problem, you’d get nowhere trying to sue the owner.

Gels are equally dangerous to growing bodies and the increased risk of developing allergies to the chemicals used in the gels.

I developed an allergy to gels which eventually caused me breathing difficulties. I was referred to a consultant dermatologist who said the dangers were well known and she couldn’t understand why they’re not viewed in the same way as smoking!

No - the hygiene it’s not about acrylics- it’s about long nails, period.

My acrylics are between 5ml and 10ml past the end of my fingers. A nail brush under them and they are just as clean as my natural nails would be.

And why can’t I have my hands submerged?! An hour long bath is my speciality. Never ever had a problem with my nails after.

Acrylic nails and the big fluffy fake eyelashes was all DD wanted age 11. The coolest thing at school it seems.
She didn't get them, but I did take her for a manicure which found dull and painful, and the lady told her alllllll about why acrylics were a bad idea for her.

My DD 10 school doesn’t even allow nail varnish 🤷🏻‍♀️ so i don’t have the whole “my friends get their nails done etc but i do enjoy girlie nights with her- i buy nail wraps and do them with my DD during school holidays, can buy some really pretty ones, it’s encouraged her to stop biting her nails too xx

This is my DSD, it’s such a shame that children aren’t allowed to be children anymore.

I understand peer pressure but this all began from probably 8 years old, her mum waxing her legs, dying her hair, etc. Including fake tan, despite having skin issues.
Now, unsurprisingly but very sadly, she has an image complex that became really unhealthy. I feel for the poor child, I just remind her as much as I can that she is beautiful as she is.
I am very much a fan of enhancing myself (not with fillers or anything, just tan on occasions, skincare, make up, etc) but it should be age appropriate.

Some parents would rather do these things so their child thinks they are great, rather than be actual parents.
By comparison, I said no to my own child on many occasions for things they wanted/their friends had and I’m still seen as the best mum.

Hard no for all the reasons said here. All nail salons allowed to do them on 10 year olds?