Parenting can be difficult even in the best of circumstances, and additional tensions can arise when two parents disagree on what is and isn't age-appropriate for their child. A woman whose eight-year-old daughter is said to be a "huge girly girl" says she eventually gave into her repeated pleas to wear make-up and gave her a subtle makeover ahead of a special dinner.
According to this mum, her daughter adores "dressing up", but she and her husband have never before let her wear make-up. Her husband wasn't happy at all about his little girl wearing eyeshadow and has said he doesn't want this to happen again.
Taking to Reddit, the 36-year-old unnamed woman explained: "We've never put make-up on her but she's always begged us too, so for a fancy dinner we went to with our families and she looked beautiful as always.
"He was out while we were doing her make-up and was going to meet us there. Obviously, I did a light makeup look on her but I did a pretty blue eye and she loved it, it made her eyes pop."
She continued: "My husband saw her and told her she looked absolutely stunning but she looked even more beautiful without.
"When we finished dinner he pulled me aside and asked me why I put make-up on her and I explained she always wanted to and it was just for fun. He wasn't mad just said we shouldn't let her put on makeup again."
The divided mother clarified that she and her husband are now both over what she regards as a "mild" disagreement, but she's now curious to see what other people think about it.
A number of people advised that, although neither parent was in the wrong in this situation, improving communication could help avoid such instances going forward.
One fellow Reddit user commented: "You should've told your husband you were doing your daughter's makeup for the dinner, for example, so that this conversation could've taken place before the fact and not after.
"It might not be a big deal, but you should always look for consensus in child-rearing issues, or at the very least make sure the other is informed and not firmly opposed."
Another wrote: "If she's got an interest, letting her explore it at home is the best way to start. It's fun to dress up and go out, though. My kids always loved to dress to the nines to go to the movies. So that was an occasion that my daughter (who was your child's age at the time ) was allowed to wear it out of the house.
"You and your husband need to talk about what your boundaries are with this, as it's an issue that's here to stay for a while."
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