Dear Friends and Family,
Thank you for spoiling my 6-year-old daughter rotten with birthday gifts. No seriously, she is a lucky girl. The craft kits are amazing for her creativity. The Lego Friends sets rock her world. The books make Mommy super happy. So, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but what is up with the teenager-y stuff that crept into your shopping lists this year? It's really freaking me out, and not in a good way.
For instance, let's talk about the party shoes with the two-inch heels. A child who has barely mastered skipping does not need to be learning to walk in pumps. What is she going to get when she's seven—cigarettes and a flask?
Here are five more gifts I wish I could have shoved back in the box before my daughter saw them:
Deluxe Makeup Kit
I'm not talking about a cute little Hello Kitty lip gloss. This was a full rainbow palette of sparkly eye shadows, bright blushes and shiny lip colors. Sure, it's the kind of gift that would excite girls (and some boys) of any age, from 2 to 100. But now my kid actually expects to use this stuff. On her face. Why, why, why does my 6-year-old need makeup? She isn't on the pageant circuit and we don't subscribe to the beauty queen school of parenting around here. I have set a strict "only inside our house" rule for experimenting with the makeup, but I don't have high hopes for the survival of my white towels.
