When to Let your Child Shave

If only we were born hairless and remained that way, our children wouldn’t come ask us questions such as “When can I start shaving?” Whether you have a son or daughter, before you answer, your concern is the same: Is my child old enough yet? If your child has already brought it up to you, you can assume that they have started to become self-conscious of the hair on their body; when kids don’t see hair on their peers, this uncomfortable feeling becomes worse.

The real question shouldn’t be how old your child is, but how ready he/she is to shave. One of the key factors in making this decision is whether your child can shave independently. If they can’t, you may want to reconsider for another year or two. You want to foster a sense of independence in your children by allowing them to shave; it’s not something you should have to help them through every time, but show them how once or twice and then let them go.

While your child may be ready to shave, it may not be necessary to put that razor to the skin. If your child has light colored hair on their body, chances are that you can postpone shaving a little longer. The hair is not as noticeable, so wearing shorts, dresses and skirts when it’s hot out is not as embarrassing. If your child has darker hair on their body, you may want to reconsider why they are coming to you asking whether they can shave. Many times, children become self-conscious and become embarrassed when they have dark hair on their body that is prominent versus their friends who have lighter hair or no hair at all. It makes physical fitness classes more nerve wrecking as they consciously try to hide their hair.

The best judge of when to let your child shave is based on you and your child. Your answer is based on whether your child wants to shave because all of their other friends are doing it or because they are getting teased at school for having hair on their body. The answer is also dependent on whether your child is a boy or girl. Boys tend to hold off on shaving their facial hair because it seems more masculine for them to have hair on their face. Girls, on the other hand, tend to want to shave their legs early because they feel that it will help improve their self-confidence.

Lipika Wadhwa

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