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" What&amp;#039;s the right age for a girl to start shaving her legs nowadays? \u2013shannon Coincidentally, the right age to begin shaving legs is exactly the same age that a girl should begin plucking her eyebrows, wearing makeup, or dating \u2013 which is exactly the same age that a boy should begin shaving his chin and using deodorant: Whenever you decide it&amp;#039;s the right age. Wait, I take that back! A boy should begin using deodorant the second you walk into his room and experience involuntary whiplash from the odor wafting from his shoes and other worn clothing. Otherwise, it&amp;#039;s your call. Some parents choose to follow the peer perspective: &amp;quot;Everybody&amp;#039;s already doing it!&amp;quot; (That&amp;#039;s when I drill for specifics: &amp;quot;What about So-and-so? What about So-and-so?&amp;quot; It&amp;#039;s amazing how few people often constitute &amp;quot;everybody.&amp;quot;) For some things, like pierced ears, I pick arbitrary ages \u2013 &amp;quot;when you&amp;#039;re in high school&amp;quot; \u2014 just to put a hold on the pleading. Most of the time, razor-blade decisions included, I consider a little bit of everything. It&amp;#039;s a formula that works like this:   Consider your child&amp;#039;s physical and emotional development and maturity. (No preschool training bras, please!)  Consider the values you want to communicate to your child. You can be sure a preschool training bra and grade-school thongs are telling her something about her body.  Consider how the new activity&amp;#039;s effects.  Beneficial? (Self sufficiency!). Downsides, like cost? (Razor blades add up!)  Consider the peer angle. It doesn&amp;#039;t have to dictate your decision, but it never hurts to walk a mile in your daughter&amp;#039;s Ugg knockoffs as at least input into your choice. You don&amp;#039;t want your child to blindly follow the whims of the crowd, but it&amp;#039;s worth respecting the desire most kids have to fit in.  \u2013Paula Spencer, WD &amp;quot;Momfidence&amp;quot; columnist "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a41893/when-should-a-girl-start-shaving-her-legs-4247/>