Out of the blue the other night as I was getting Connor Claire ready for bed, she pointed at her fingers and said, “Mama, paint my hands. You paint my hands and my feet, mama, okay?”
LOL! I’m pretty sure she was asking for a mani/pedi from me. ?
I’m not exactly sure where she got the idea, because I usually do my nails when she’s asleep, since it’s the only time I have to sit still long enough for my polish to dry. She doesn’t ever see me actually doing the nail painting part. I guess she must’ve seen it on TV or heard about it in preschool.
It was both endearing and a little shocking at the same time, because the first time I ever got a manicure was in college.
COLLEGE.
I was 19, and I remember picking out a soft, creamy pink for my nails, and when the nail tech was done, I pulled a twenty out of my wallet (which was the bulk of my paycheck at the time) and said to please keep the change.
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to questions like this, because every child and every family’s different (plus, I’ve been dressing up my cat and calling him a kitty supermodel for more than a decade, so I’m not one to judge), but I am curious. How commonplace are mani/pedis among toddlers and kids these days?
I’ve overheard a few moms at the playground talking about how they like to take their two-year-olds to get manicures and pedicures at the salon, and now I’m suddenly recalling having seen many, many pictures of toddlers and slightly older children on Instagram and social media getting their fingers and toes done with their moms.
I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t go to my first nail salon until I was older, but I’ve always thought of it as a grownup thing. Am I alone in this?
Not to say that I don’t plan to paint Connor’s nails before she’s out of high school. I’m sure I will, but she seems to have forgotten about it for now. If/when she asks me again, I’m going to tell her that we can do it for special occasions, like her birthday, and we’ll do it at home.
And when she’s older, like maybe in middle school or high school, if she expresses an interest, I might take her to the nail salon… Or she can just get a job and pay for it herself like I did. LOL!
What do you think? How young is too young for manicures and pedicures?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Morning, kitty cat! 
