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15th April 2022
12:13pm BST

"DD's cousins came to visit yesterday, and gave 6yo DD a make up set. The cousins rarely visit and I didn't feel up to souring the visit by rejecting the gift in front of them. So she spent yesterday with her cousins, covering themselves with make up. She bloody loves it. First thing she did this morning? Put more make up on. "If it was up to me, this would never have come in the house! But it's here now. I could just take it away, but I'm worried that'll make it into a huge thing, I'm not sure if that'll achieve anything other than make her want it more. "We've been talking a bit about why adults wear make up, and I've told her about how if you wear make up every day, it's a bit like it casts a spell on you and you feel you can't go outside without wearing it, and we talked about how much of a pain that would be if her friend came round to ask her to play, but she missed out because she couldn't just leave the house. "I want to just throw the bloody thing away, but I'm worried about creating a bigger deal out of it and making it an even greater object of desire!"Many mums replied to the post, saying she should make it out as a 'toy' that can only be played with at home. One said:
"I think taking it away will make it a thing. just view it the same way as any other toy. Letting her put on a little bit of eyeshadow and lipgloss every now and then won't make her dependent on makeup for the rest of her life. If you really feel the need, call them facepaints and use them for dress up."While another wrote:
"She'll lose interest after a while, and you could hide it away. I wouldn't be too worried, as long as she also is exposed to and given the opportunity for other types of play and activity. It is just experimentation."What would you do in this situation?
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