Hairy 12yo Girl 13

Kids are growing up in the age of Instagram and YouTube, which heightens how self-conscious they feel about their appearances as they enter adolescence. Plus, some research shows that kids are going through puberty earlier. While some young millennials and celebrities such as Cardi B, Amandla Stenberg and Bekah Martinez are embracing the more natural let-it-grow body hair trend, the beauty ideal for both girls and boys is still pretty straight-up smooth and hairless.

Hairy 12yo Girl 13

Do I need to (a) be proactive about it or (b) let her come to me if it bothers her? And if I need to be proactive about it, what is appropriate hair grooming of this nature for an eleven-year-old girl?

What a smart post! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. It's good to know that things will change with my 10-year old non-eating boy. I also can't wait for the teenaged girl post. We are headed there. Now. I am not weathering it particularly well, and wish that I could lock the girl up somewhere for the next decade or so to keep her the way she was when she was smaller.

I have been reading this blog and laughing so hard. Remembering my two sons. One a mechanic and hunter and one an athlete and gorgeous. How on earth did I survive. I had two girls first. The first one I started to school too early and she needed the emotional maturity of an extra year. Her birthday was at the end of Sept. The second daughter had a birthday in October (there's that year) One struggled to keep up with her piers and the other one was queen of everything, athletic and I was always told how pretty she was. I didn't see that she looked any different from the other three? It was just pure insanity from morning to night! I am now 65 and looking at my two daughters who are teachers. One son is a mechanic with his own shop and went into the Army and the other one has two sons very intelligent and athletic. The world turns. It's fun now to sit back and watch them struggle to come to grips with these maturing children of their own. I love them dearly but oh boy it was such a struggle

Six boys here. (and 4 girls : )) I will just say AMEN. Wish I had read it a dozen yrs ago. But then, you were probably working it all out then too. It's all just so much clearer after the fact. It is a true grace that we got more wonderful boys and more chances to put it all to work on a daily basis.