Since I have two pre-teens in the house, one boy and one girl, the subject of body changes is a constant hot topic around here. There is no end of fascination about new hair growth, yodeling boy voices, unexplainable bouts of tears, and new body odors.
And I’m really enjoying this stage with my daughter. We have been bonding over electric razors and hair products and it has been a little bit like having a new friend.
But I’ve had to be gentle about each new bit of girl information I’ve shared by waiting for the right moment and making sure that I’m in tune with what is going on in her life and what questions she’s asking. We’ve covered such topics as menstruation, sex, shaving our legs, and the need for a good deodorant but I’ve hesitated to bring up topics out of the blue for fear of causing insecurities. I mean, I wouldn't want to say,"P.U. What stinks," right before moving into the body odor topic. A little tact is in order.
So I've been biting my tongue about her eyebrows.
It was destiny really. Her dad is a hairy guy with eyebrows like fuzzy caterpillars. She really only had a 50/50 chance of having two eyebrows instead of one. But I’ve not wanted to bring up something that wasn’t an issue for her so I’ve kept quiet.
But obviously I missed this one because a few days ago she came out of her room looking decidedly different. She HAD been noticing that her eyebrow should be eyebrows and had used her new electric razor to separate them. The only problem was that she had been just a bit overzealous.
She had shaved such a huge gap in between them that she now had what looked like Hitler’s mustache over both eyes.
I think our next bonding moment will include a pair of tweezers and plucking lessons….as soon as they grow back.
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17 comments:
oh no! That will be a story to retell again and again when she is older. What a ride it is being the mom of a tween- I can totally relate. My daughter's mood the past few days has had me pulling my hair and counting to ten- several times.
Oh my! I hope you kept a straight face!
Weird. I had totally forgotten about the word menstruation. Period, time of the month, Aunt Flo... but I haven't used that word in FOREVER. Okay, maybe even never. Unless you count that film in the 5th grade.
I suppose I need to brush up on the technical jargon for this stuff... but about boys.
Or not.
Oh man, I feel her pain. When I was about 12, I was reading one of my mom's magazines and thought that my eyebrows needed shaping. But that "tweezing" thing sounded painful - SHUDDER! - so I did the next best thing. I cut them with scissors.
Bald spots only look cute on certain men. Not in 12 year old girls' eyebrows.
I'm surprised my mom didn't laugh her head off when she saw it the first time!
Oh, that poor dear child! What will you do in the meantime? Give her an eyebrow toupee? :-)
Ladies in Asia shave them off and pencil them in. There's a possible solution....
Oh no! This is funny and not funny all at the same time.
From a girl who learned all the growing up stuff at school, from friends and by learning all the articles in 17 magazine...I'm so glad that you're teaching your daughter all this stuff! I want to have that kind of relationship with my daughter too.
While my eldest is only five, I can see her doing this. I can tell this is my future...:) What a perfect story to keep for her future husband:)
Poor baby. I am loving these posts, as I have a 10 yr old, and she is early on everything.
Susan
Awww! My heart goes out to her with humor and sympathy! What a great mom you are, being so sweet and understanding. It's an exciting time!
LOVE IT!!!
Cassie just told me the other day she didn't want to go swimming because her "legs look funny" with the hair. :(
Not enjoying the insecurities that come with all this!
Miss you SOOOOOOOO much!
Uh, I didn't know whether to laugh or commiserate!!
Yikes!! Did you keep a straight face?? I'd have laughed out of sheer amazement and horror!
But Gayle, really this was a great post with some really great points, and I'm in the same boat with you!
lol!
Leanne
Oh my gosh, you are so funny!
i do, however, feel very bad for your daughter. Maybe you can show her how to fill in eyebrows with an eye-pencil? best wishes, mom!
Oh boy are those days a-comin' this way. How cool that you are teaching her the ropes, though girl! You are an awesome Momma, and these are the memories that your sweet Allegra will hold on to.
I can totally relate to everything you two are "going through" since my daughter is the same age. BUT, Mom's beware, this can happen with boys too! My 14 year old SON came down one morning with the exact same double Hitler thing going on! Can't use eyebrow pencil for him. :( We had a really good talk about it though and he got a pair of tweezers for Christmas!
Julie
I can totally relate to everything you two are "going through" since our daughters are the same age. BUT, Moms beware, this can happen with boys too! My 14 year old SON came down one morning (right before Christmas pictures)with the exact same double Hitler thing goin' on! Can't use eyebrow pencil for him. :( We had a really good talk about it though and he got a pair of tweezers for Christmas!
Julie
I really feel for your daughter!
I remember reading about Amy Grant giving herself a really bad haircut when she was a teenager. Maybe that might make her feel better!
Oh, poor, sweet, girl!
You're right to be sensitive and wait for their cues though.
I was *almost* hoping you'd post a photo, but I suppose I'm glad you were a little more considerate of your daughter than that. (So how come Gabe and his poopy underwear don't get the same consideration? :-) I know, i know, bc he's a four-yr-old BOY.)
Enjoy the "girl stuff"- the good, the bad, AND the ugly. I have BTDT with one daughter and have another coming up...
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