Time to Shave

Reveal Thursday

So my reveal today is about Shaving. Why this topic, because I saw over this past summer a few young girls while in my volunteer projects that had on shorts and had hair on their legs, I see some women in my Yoga class with hairy armpits and I ran into a post on Cafe Mom but most importantly, because not a lot of mom’s talk about this.

These observations bought to mind when I was about 10 or 11 years old, playing outside one summer afternoon and a neighbor of mine, a boy came over and asked me “why do you have hair on your legs?”
I was shocked and embarrassed. I had never thought about the hair on my legs until moment he bought it up. Then I started to think “wait but none of the women I know have hair on their legs!!!”  I started to look around and noticed that only the young girls had hair and the older ones and the women didn't.

Since I already knew my mother would not allow me to do so I ran home, went to the bathroom, got in the shower, turned water on, used my step fathers shave cream and my mother’s razor and shaved my legs. I only knew what to do because I had seen my mother do it hundreds of times.
What a revelation!! The smoothest most beautiful legs I had seen yet. I couldn't believe the difference it made.
I put lotion on and went back outside to show off my “new” legs.  It felt great when I sat down on my stoop and looked down at my hairless legs just like all the older girls.

That night was another story because when my mother saw my legs she flipped. She said I was not old enough to shave and that I was trying to “grow up” to fast.  Really? Shaving my legs was trying to grow up to fast? Needless to say I continued to do it regardless of her comments and I had to anyway because I learned as time went on that shaving wasn't a onetime thing…the hair grows back!!!!

When my sisters were at the age where the hair started to become “to noticeable”, I vowed I would be the one to assist them in the journey of shaving because I didn't want them to have to hide. I bought the Nair lotion so they wouldn't have to use razors and my mother would feel it was “safer” at their age. With my daughter she was about 12 yrs. old and we did the same thing. She didn't care about it as much so I followed her lead for when she was ready. Shaving isn't about “growing up” to fast, it’s about appearance! I must have said those words to my mother about 50 times in the course of my teens, my sister’s teens and my daughter’s teen years. Talk about old fashioned!!

Through my many years of shaving I came to a belief that it wasn't so much my mother didn't want me to grow up to fast as it was she didn't know how to approach something so simple as teaching her daughter how to shave or better yet to be aware that at some point hairy legs was not the look I may have wanted anymore. It wasn't that shaving was for the “older’ girls it was that the older girls knew how to shave, perhaps due to years of watching their own moms as I had mine.  Puberty hits every child and parents need to prepare, adjust and address the different needs and concerns. Communication.

This is my opinion; this is my preference and the preference of many. With that I am also aware that to some women or even different cultures etc.., hair on the legs, armpits or any other place for that matter is no big deal. What a great thing that we can have options and respect.

With this reveal what I want to bring to light is mothers and fathers are Teachers of Everything. There is no subject matter that we must not touch or be aware of.
If you have a preteen or teen interested in shaving, go ahead and teach them. Really it is not a big deal. Pick your battles wisely.

What would some have considered a “grown up” move that you engaged in at some point in your life behind your parents back? Going down memory lane.

http://www.cafemom.com/group/advice/forums/read/18996345/Should_I_teach_my_daughter_to_shave_her_legs