Don’t be surprised when your tween comes up and asks you if they can wear make-up or if they simply skip the permission step and just start wearing it anyway. While you might not like or agree with it, as your child grows up they might be attracted to the appeal of make-up or simply want to follow their friends.
To help mums, who might be a little put off guard when their tween starts wearing make-up, here are four things you should do.
Talk about wearing it
Ask your youngster why they want to wear it. It is likely they simply want to copy what their friends are doing, but it can brought on by feelings of insecurity about their appearance. If this is the case, now is the time to discuss it. Putting make-up aside, see if you and your child can sort any issues out before they start wearing cosmetics.
Teach them that less is more
If you instil this concept into your child from an early age, you will be teaching her about one of the most important make-up rules. Children don’t need to wear foundation – their skin is bright at a young age and it will simply clog their pores. If they want to hide blemishes like pimples, teach them how to use a concealer which will allow their skin to breathe.
Don’t be negative
Even if you don’t agree with her wearing it, try to avoid being negative, telling her she looks awful and never, ever use names to show your disgust. This will simply affect her self-esteem, something you are trying to boost not knock. Instead say things like ‘you look lovely but I still think you look stunning without it’ or ‘you don’t need to wear it – you have lovely skin’.
Avoid an outright make-up ban
Completely banning your child will only counteract what you are trying to achieve. Not only will this likely cause her to rebel, it will also mean she will look at make-up as being something to conceal.
