I was 12. I didn't tell anyone I was doing it. Just did it one day. My Mom gave me the whole, 'you'll regret it' speech, but I didn't care. (I was/am pretty hairy.:))

The cell phone debate is one I won't touch. I didn't get my first cell phone until I was 28 and needed it for business purposes. I was allowed my own phone line at 14, but had to pay for it by getting a job. I like how my Mom did this, as it taught me some great lessons in responsibility.

***Life - It's not a rehearsal***

Shaving legs I dont know. I'd think when they were old enough to handle the razor without doing too much damage? As for the cell phone. Grumpy (13) has one but its because they come home from school alone. They have to be able to let me know they made it home safely and it has come in VERY handy when she has missed the bus.

I would say they should have cell phones as soon as you can afford it. It is really about safety. It is also a benefit in parent relations as well. I can call my kids directly without having to bother thier dad if he is on thier home line. I really don't want to intrude on any private or business phone calls.

As for shaving of the legs. I say that when a girl feels weird about the hair on her own body, then it is time to do something about it. I would try nair. But I would do it for her. I tried it on my daughter, and she really liked it. Hair was gone for about a week. I would suggest doing it for her so she doesn't get it in her hair (head).

the first time i shaved my legs i was 10 - just hit puberty, feelin like a big girl. I took my mom's razor and promptly sliced my leg open. still have the scar to this day, 12 years later. i think its just a matter of when the kid feels comfortable and wants to do it and has hit puberty... but is something that needs to be supervised for awhile. definitely dont start out with cheap razors - maybe those ones with the gel on either side of the blades?

as for cell phones, i didnt have one till i was 18, when i moved out and didnt have a house phone. my younger siblings started getting cell phones at around age 12 - they are now 18, 18, 16, 13 and 12 and they have gone through (each) a cell phone about every four months since then so do the math... i dont think kids need cell phones.. older teens maybe, kids no. to this day, dh and i share a cell.. it hasnt killed us yet. if i need to get a hold of him when i dont have the cell, i use a public phone or a friends. im not big on people being able to reach me any time of the day or night no matter where i am or what im doing... i find it annoying and invasive but you know, everyone has their own preferences.

"if you don't have anything nice to say, then shut the fuck up."

I think I was 12 or 13 when I first started shaving, basically I was embarrassed b/c of the hair and that was all my mom needed to hear to help me get it all figured out!

And I got my first cell phone when I was 16, and had started driving. That was the only reason my parents got it for me. I don't know what we'll do for Scooty. If I was part of a nuclear family it would probably be 16 for the same reason. BUT Scooty calls all the time from BM's phone (we have to call that one too to talk to her on our off days) and BM ALWAYS has to *try* and chit chat. I'm thinking that if we got Scooty a cell phone we wouldn't have to talk to BM as much!

"Live well, Love much, Laugh often."

I think I was 12-13 also. But the big factor was that I was uncomfortable with the hair. SD on the other hand is barely 12 and has been shaving for well over a year so 10ish. My DD is 11 and hasn't even mentioned it yet. I'll push her to wait until she's 12 or so.

SD has also has had a cell phone since 8yo. Too young in my opinion but it wasn't up to me. My DS got one at 12 mostly around the time I felt comfortable leaving him alone at events and sports practices. In our day there were pay phones on every corner and in every school. They are hard to come by these days.

I think most kids with phones misuse them and aren't taugh proper etiquette.

I started shaving my legs around age 11 when I became self-conscious.

DH and I got SS his first cell phone when he was 14 and it was only out of necessity. SS had just come to live with us, plus we had a new baby of our own. With all the therapy, visitations, dr. appts, work schedules, etc. we really needed it to stay in touch. When SS returned to live with BM, we took the phone back. It was a privilege he got while living with us.

A young lady should shave her legs when she finds the hairy leg syndrome uncomfortable. That can be as early as ten and as late as Mo'nique. It is all about good grooming and when the girl feels she wants it.

Cell phones? It is up to the person that is paying for it.

I'm Sicilian which basically means that I look like Chewbacca if I don't wax and shave regularly. That said, my mom got me an electric razor and allowed me to start shaving when I was 8. So I'm pretty liberal about shaving. I got my 10 year old SD an electric razor for Christmas. No way would I let her start using a regular razor until she at least 13 or 14, for safety reasons.

As for the cell phone, I believe that at the point that the child begins moving around on their own without constant adult supervision they should have a cell phone. Next year, SD starts middle school and she will be taking the bus home from school and staying home by herself until we get home for the first time. She will get a cell phone so that we have a means of communicating with her when she is alone.

I don't buy into the argument that some people make about (we didn't have cell phones when we were kids and we're fine). Geez, car seats weren't mandatory when I was a kid but I would never think not to use one for my baby!

I started shaving my legs at 10 (I was unlucky enough to have hit puberty at 10 ) My mum figured I became a 'woman' when I got my monthly 'friend' so she let me start shaving my legs. I didn't get my first cell phone until high school. My parents figured I'd be going out more with friends and wanted a way to get ahold of me, but it seems now-a-days kids are spending more and more time away from home with their friends, so it's more of a is your kid responsible enough to have a cellphone.

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