Mum stirs heated debate online after asking if she should shave her 6-year-old’s legs
A mum has sparked an intense debate online after asking a controversial question on a parenting forum.
The mum, who goes by the username TellerTuesday4Eva, posted on Mumsnet about whether she should shave her six-year-old daughter’s body hair.
“A big part of me knows this is ridiculous, but there’s another part that wants [my daughter] to make her own choices,” she wrote.
“She has and always has had very hairy legs and a hairy lower back. I presumed it was baby down, and would go away in time, but it hasn’t, and it’s gone darker as she’s gotten older.”
The concerned mother mentioned that the body hair is affecting her daughter’s self-esteem as she notices other young girls her age are not dealing with the same issue.
The poster did say that she has had conversations with her child about how all bodies are made differently but worries that the message isn’t coming across to her daughter.
“In the summer she became aware of it,” she wrote.
“She asked me if there was a way to get rid of the hair, we talked about it and everyone’s bodies being different.
“Since she’s gone back to school she’s mentioned it again quite a few times. I have to point out here that nobody else has mentioned it, classmates etc. It’s [my daughter] herself that has the issue … she’s now getting upset about swimming and not wanting to go because she says when her legs get wet it looks worse. The hair’s quite long so when it gets wet and lays flat she is right in what she’s saying.”
She asked for users on the site to offer their advice if they were in her situation.
Surprisingly, she received an overwhelming amount of support, with many parents reacting positively to her daughter’s concern.
“I was a very hairy child (well still am quite) and I desperately wanted to shave but my mum wouldn’t let me. I did it myself when I was 13 without my parents – with a cheap Bic razor! I think helping her is better than refusing and then her doing it herself,” wrote one user.
“I would help her remove the hair. It’s really embarrassing being the first hairy girl and just because her peers haven’t noticed yet, doesn’t mean they won’t. She’s not comfortable with the hair on her legs, and given most women choose to remove theirs, she’s not expressing a controversial opinion that is likely to change when she gets older,” added another. “If when she’s a teen she decides to hell with it, she’d rather be hairy all over, the hair will grow back. It’s not an irreversible decision or something she’ll grow out of.”
After sifting through all the advice that was given, the mum took to the forum to update everyone on how she spoke to her daughter and they both decided that removing the hair was the best way to go.
“Thank you all so much for your replies. I was well prepared to get flamed, but overwhelmed with how supportive you’ve all been,” she wrote. “We’ve talked about it at length tonight and decided that we’ll try a mitt first to see what the outcome is.”
Do you think the mum is making the right decision? Let us know in the comments below.