Everything happens way to fast! I wish I could go back a few years and hit the pause button or a while longer, because I am not handling my kids growing up very well. A few weeks ago I realized my oldest daughter would be going off to college in two years! DANG, it seems like only yesterday I was wondering if my daughter was old enough to wear makeup.
I remember the first time Catie asked me if she could wear makeup to school. She was only 9 years old. She didn’t get to wear makeup to school, but we came up with something that made her feel better. I am never happy when I have a slam dunk, in your face, your kids are growing up moment. However, I managed to keep smiling, and cry when nobody was looking.
I was, and still am (my other kids are much too young for makeup) one of the many parents that didn’t want her tween to wear makeup. I do not wear much makeup as an adult, I sure don’t want my daughter wearing it until she is 32 years old. Okay, since 32 wasn’t going to happen I eventually allowed her to start wearing makeup to school, but did not give her full control until I knew she was mature enough.
Is My Daughter Old Enough To Wear Makeup?
Is your daughter old enough to wear makeup? Honestly, I don’t think there is a certain age that it is okay to wear makeup. I remember asking myself several questions several questions, which all pointed back to me, and things I needed to do to help make sure she was ready to wear makeup. Girls don’t just know how to apply makeup, or what goes where. If we want them to know how to wear makeup, we need to be the ones to teach them. Bad things happen when you get a bunch of tweens/teens together lol. They think they know everything..
I have learned, if I am making the choice for the right reasons, I am doing things right. Of course my kids might not agree, but I know I am doing my best to make good decisions and point them in the right direction. When Catie started asking me about makeup here are a few things we did before she was allowed to wear makeup. It took a little bit of work from both of us. For me it was realizing my daughter was eventually going to grow up, and I needed to jump on the wagon to help her.
Hear them out
You might already have an answer for them, but hear them out. Maybe they are only 9 years old like Catie, and you already know the answer is no. GREAT, but listen to them. Chances are their friends are wearing makeup, or there is a reason they want to wear it. Talk to them, and find out why they are asking at such an early age. I always worry, and ask questions until my kids are sick of it, and I am sure everything is okay. Rather than just saying, “no,” I heard her out, and listened to what she had to say.
Let them play
Since Catie asked at such a young age, we came to an agreement that I would allow her to play with it at home a little more. I admit I was strict and did not allow her to play with makeup often. Allowing her to slowly play with makeup worked out great for us. Of course, at first she piled everything on. Lucky for me she quickly realised she didn’t need to pile on the makeup. She also learned how to apply makeup correctly, and we had a few fun mom-daughter days where I would teach her little tips.
Teach them
Before I allowed Catie to wear makeup to school or anywhere else I wanted to teach her the basics. Where to use what, how much to use, and most importantly that less in more. For some reason some girls do not understand that less truly is more when applying makeup.
Start Slow
I wanted to bang my head in the wall and cry, but I didn’t. I let her start out wearing mascara, and lightly colored lip-gloss. We slowly introduced eye shadow, which lead to eyeliner, base, and now she wears whatever she wants.
Catie does her makeup great. Never too much, just enough, and most importantly she knows she doesn’t have to wear it to be beautiful. There are days when she does without it, and certain events she will wear a little more than normal. She always looks beautiful, with or without it.
I don’t know if there is a certain age that we should start allowing our daughters to start wearing makeup. At the end of the day I think a lot of it depends on how the parents feel about the subject, and how responsible your daughter is.
What are your thoughts? Leave me a comment and let me know how you feel about your daughter wearing making. If you have already been down the makeup road and have any tips to share please feel free to leave them.
