Bedwetting - Patchogue,NY

Hi,
My oldest was the same way. I was not confortable with her shaving so I decided to let her use Veet. It's like Nair. She loves it and is no longer self contious. I did explain to her that once she did it, she would have to do it forever, so she needed to make her decision wisely.
She only does the bottom of her leg to just above the knee but will shortly need to do the whole thing. But it is a great alternative to shaving.

My daughter started shaving very young...before her 10th birthday, mostly because she was a gymnast and on an allstar cheer team with older girls... and yes, she was self concious about hairy legs when everyone else was so smooth. But when kids her own age at school commented about her doing it so young, she simply said...."well, mine show year round". She started by just doing the shins and visible hair...I prefer a nick and cut over the harsh chemicals, so we introduced a razor first. And there is no way to prevent a razor oopsie....so all I could do is show her how to do it and explain that accidents happen and she will have to learn where her rough spots are to be extra careful around. I bought her some scented shaving cream and she went over her legs ever so slowly...eventually she started doing her knees and all over on her own. By the time she got to 6th grade in the middle school, she was proud to be such a pro.

I really like Heather's response. The best thing you can teach your child is to be able to have a sense of humor about herself and the confidence to accept who she is. Kids can't make fun of someone if the person's already laughing. Children only pick on another child if it gets to them. If anyone makes a comment and your daughter responds with a "so what? Like you're perfect?" attitude, the chiding will stop.
Easier to say than do, I'm sure, so if you must do something, I think bleaching is actually a good idea or at most, waxing. I started shaving when I was 10 and I wish my mom had started me waxing. Good luck - and keep me posted. My daughter is 3 and already has black hair on her legs. But she's half Mexican, so the bleaching won't work because her skin is so dark.

Hi P., My daughter is 8 yrs old and she uses veet on her legs. It uses the same technique as shaving, but the "razor" doesn't actually have a blade so she can't cut herself. I helped her with it the first few times until she got the hang of it and now she does it on her own once a week before her shower. I agree with the other moms about teaching our children self confidence, but in the case of my daughter's super long leg hair, I had additional options. Now, not only is my daughter happy with who she is inside, she's happy with how her legs look too. And, let's face it... shaving is a part of personal hygene that they have the learn eventually. I hope this helps. Good luck to you and your daughter.

I say just shave them. You will probably only have to do it once a month (if that,) and if she is really self-conscious about it, then it will help her a lot. I started shaving around that time for a similar reason. During the very hot summer months, I would not wear shorts and I felt very much like I stood out from the other girls, which (as you know) is not a nice feeling at that age. If all it would take is you shaving her legs once a month to eliminate your daughter's negative feelings, then why not? It is a tough age, and kids can be cruel, so I think that it is a very small thing to do, even though I understand not wanting to start something like that so young. There are few things that we can do as parents to help our children once they reach certain ages, so I say, "Just do it!"

you know I feel the same way.. I work part time and my husband works all day and night, I do it all at home and feel like i'm a single parent all the time but I try to think positive because at least I get to be with my kids and its his fault if they favor me more in the future. Anyhow my 9 years old has the same problem, she keeps begging me to shave but you have to remember which I don't know if its fact or fiction the younger you start shaving the more hair and the thicker it grows as you grow older. So I tell her she is still a young girl but that if it ever got to the point were kids were cruel because of it, I'll let her bleach it with my help but so far she's ok.If she starts shaving she'll have razor burn, cuts and you'll have to go out and buy certain products are you ready for her to grow up so fast at 9. I say bleach it if its a big problem.

My nine year old sister has the same problem but her's is growing in blonde.If this is brothering her to where she does'nt want to go to school then try a hair removal on her.Or just shave for her,i mean yes it is a young age but she cant help it and the other kids will get to her about it soon.You cant stop nature from doing its thing.

I have a 2 year old girl who already has more (black) hair on her legs than her daddy ;) and my plan is, as soon as she mentions self consciousness about it I am going to teach her how to shave. I feel its not something she should have to suffer being picked on over if there is a way to deal with. That's just my opinion. Hope all turns out well!

I feel for your daughter because I had and still have the same problem. I was in 5th grade though before it happened and rather then let my mom know, I took matters into my own hands and shaved my legs. Luckily I didn't do any serious damage. Anyway, since the cold weather is coming, just have her avoid wearing skirts or dresses unless she wears stockings and then when the warm weather returns she'll be closer to an appropriate leg shaving age and then you can show her the DOs and DON'Ts of shaving.

You should be glad that your daughter came to you for advice. Make sure you encourage this as she gets older.

My daughter had alot of hair on her legs too. She was also very self-concious about it. I showed her how to shave her legs...but come to find out, it's not so much "fun" to keep doing that. She doesn't keep up with it but the hair itself is light so it's okay to wait 2-3weeks, (as she does) It doesn't grow back as quickly as ours does. But she has the option of shaving them if it is bothering her, or letting it go for a while.

P.,
My best advise it to let her know that she is perfect just the way that she is... Starting to bleach or shave the hair starts a process that as we all well know NEVER ends! AND it makes it thicker and comes back faster! I wish my mother had been around to tell me such things. but of course that is just my opinion...

i say show her how to shave!! i was ten when i took it upon myself to shave my own legs without ma's permission and without shaving cream (ouch!) i know it's one step closer to her not being your baby but it's better than makeup and mini skirts!!

Hi. I grew up with long, dark hair on my arms and legs. I was picked on for it. It was fifth grade when my mom let me shave and I was ten. I think that kids can be even more cruel today, so I would suggest teaching your daughter to shave. For the first couple of years, I used an electric razor which worked well.After I shaved, I remember that no one even noticed, but at least the picking on me stopped. I married a guy who is harrier than me and our two year old already has fuzz on his back! I pray that we don't have a girl, because she is surely in for it if we do! I understand that it is important for her to have a good self esteem. I just don't think that shaving is such a big deal. It was easier to shave just before a shower than to take time to bleach and be thinking about all the times kids mentioned my leg hair at school. Shaving just becomes routine. Of course, I still had to take the teasing about my arm hair, which I would never shave because it was pointless. I learned to shrug off the comments and know that I don't need to be ashamed of the way I looked.

my 9 yr old has hairy legs also but she not really care so i would think best bet just try to ignore it till shes bit older or honestly i'm not sure :(

I just joined but I felt compelled to give a little advice. A childs confidence level is very important. How they feel about themselves stays with them forever and it determines in most cases how they do and will treat others and themselves. I don't think there is anything wrong with teaching her to shave. Bladeless razors are safer and they keep her from having to explain bandaids all over her legs to fellow students. Just make sure she's not allergic to anything in the creams. It's something the two of you can do together even if you don't need to shave. I also advise you to make sure she knows that loving herself as she is, is more important than other people loving her for what they want her to be. And let her know that problems will surface in her life and there won't always be an easy fix. You fix what you can and what you can't, you work with it. I hope things work out for you both.

I know how you feel all to well... I have a 12 and 14 year olds and my 12 year old is on a wheelchair... things are hard and i started using Veet hairremoval gel cream its almost like Nair where you dont have to use a actual razor....Its safe and you can teach her how to do shave with out an actual razor.... I feel the same way... My husband is that same as yours and it got worse when My youngest was born with the handicap that she has... He helps only when he has too... I do almost all the in and outside work around here....my husband goes to work comes home worksout and eats what i prepare and then goes n watches tv and goes to bed...

S. I

I let my 9 and 10 year old girls nair thier legs. It stinks awful buut it takes care of the hair and it lasts for weeks, and no razors!

P. S,

My daughters started shaving right around the age that your daughter is now. You have to remember that some girls mature faster than others do, so things come out before others. I took the time to show my daughter how to do it herself, we had kind of a shaving party one night, to show her the tricky spots and such. Now, if she gets greif about her hairy legs, its her own fault for not shaving them. Go ahead, let her start shaving.

i was going to say let her shave ...but 9 is kinda young. try using nair for her. yes children are very mean!! if she does not have to wear dresses this can wait until the weather is warmer and then she will be a little older. mine started at 10...kids picked on heer and she decided on her own to get rid of the hairs!! when i found out we had a talk and now she lets me know when it needs to be done again. face it...shes growing up!! :o( we never want that do we? good luck!!