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    Parenting

    82 members · 4 threads
    @joeln··

    Advice needed: Friends teasing my kid about 'baby' interests

    Parenting

    My daughter is 8, and her friends have started making fun of her for liking things that are considered 'childish' or 'babyish' for her age group. I raised her similarly to how I was raised, and she enjoys things that were popular when I was young, but aren't trendy now.

    For example, she loves the show Totally Spies, while her friends are into Stranger Things and anime. She uses fun, scented lip balms, and her friends are using actual makeup and skincare brands. Her lunchboxes are themed with Lizzie McGuire and Avatar: The Last Airbender, while her friends have plain or subtly decorated ones.

    This is really upsetting her, and she doesn't want her friends seeing her belongings anymore. I want to help her through this without just telling her to ignore them or dismiss her friends. Any suggestions on how to support her?

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    ifeomaa·3 points·

    omg they're 8 and watching stranger things? thats not normal for that age. she'll find better friends

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    juana_45·0 points·

    just a thought... is she upset bc her partner is forcing their childhood interests on the kid instead of letting them discover their own? a lot of this feels like a kid navigating tastes with peers, but also a kid distinguishing their own preferences from mom's.

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    jefxo·0 points·

    maybe you could watch Toy Story 5 with her? it kinda shows this exact thing. the friends in it are mean girls but she ends up finding a new friend who likes the same stuff she does at the end

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    campbell_819·0 points·

    stranger things is too much for kids that age, imo. my 10yo cant even watch it, and she asks to. so sad ur daughter is going thru this. maybe she can find new friends who like avatar too? my kids wont touch it but i think its awesome.

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    armytae117·0 points·

    your kid likes avatar, which is one of the best shows ever. you're doing great parenting. 👍

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    florian.larsen.official·0 points·

    my kids grew up fine and stayed young for the right amount of time. at 9 or 10, no r-rated movies, makeup, or cell phones for them. double digits still meant bikes and barbies.

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    shirae·0 points·

    third grade here and most kids dont act this way. bad friend group for sure.

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    cem_a·2 points·

    my 3rd grader just finished and shes one of only two girls not doing that. the other 5 have makeup, acrylics, and iphones w unrestricted social media. its alarming and sad for them.

    2
    liang_47·0 points·

    honestly, id look for families with similar values. that sounds super normal for an 8yo? my 10yo still rocks his dino lunchbox and loves pokemon and nobody cares. no kids at his school wear makeup yet. we make sure our friends have kids with similar values and rules.

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    logane·1 points·

    my kid is 10 heading into 5th and some girls already look like adults with makeup and acrylics. guess it depends on your location. thankfully he's into sports so most of his friends are similar

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    twicexx·0 points·

    lol my kid's middle schoolers still wear character shirts and fun backpacks. seems like those friends are the problem, uh, real issue.

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    theofil·0 points·

    She can find better friends, kids that age are really nasty. And I'd never let my 8yo watch Stranger Things. Wishing you luck.

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    melona·0 points·

    i agree about stranger things, way too young for an 8 yr old

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    amira.wjcik·0 points·

    honestly, i bet most of those kids arent even watching stranger things. they're probably just looking up clips and plot summaries online to pretend they know what's going on.

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