Childrearing
No First Grader Should Be Stressed Enough To Need A Trip To The Kiddie Spa
Parents, have you been looking at your little girl lately and thinking she needed some pampering? Have you wondered if her life as a small child- having all meals prepared for her, having her butt wiped if she needed it, all of her clothes and worldly needs met- is stressful? I mean, who needs a massage, pedicure and hot oil foot rub as much as a kid? Life is ROUGH when you have no real worries or responsibilities, let’s face it. The geniuses at kiddie spa chains saw this deep need and are fulfilling it. They are making tons of money off parents who believe their little girls deserve this sort of experience.
From the NY Times:
The spa industry has begun to target children in a big way, going way beyond mother-daughter manicures. Adult spas are adding separate menus of services for girls, usually ages 4 to 14. In most major cities, there are now dedicated day spas for children, offering a range of massages, facials and other treatments for girls (and sometimes boys) too young to have had their first pimple.
“I feel like the best princess in the world,†said Paige, who celebrated her seventh birthday at Sweet and Sassy, a national chain of spas that boasts that its cosmetologists are specially trained to work with children. After the beauty treatments, Paige and her guests walked down a red carpet and disappeared into a hot pink limousine, which took the squealing children on a spin around the parking lot. One 6-year-old guest documented the revelry in a series of selfies.
A series of selfies? I think I need to go be sick. I’m sorry, but this is nuts. To have a little “mani/pedi” party at home for your daughter and her friends is one thing but THIS? And Paige’s mom has this to say about it:
At the party here in Aurora last month, Paige’s mother, Kari Ehresman, 33, said she was thrilled to be able to treat the girls to a day of playful pampering.
“They do deserve something special,†said Ms. Ehresman, who paid about $400 for the party. Paige and her 8-year-old sister, Makayla, had begged for beauty treatments, but Ms. Ehresman had found her own adult spa to be inappropriate for them.
“I don’t want them to feel that my saying ‘no’ means that I don’t love them,†she said.
Now, I need a paper bag to breathe into.
No, Ms. Ehresman- they don’t “deserve” something special, particularly something traditionally meant for adult women. It is totally acceptable to say “no” to that and who gives a flip if they think you don’t love them? WELCOME TO PARENTHOOD. Saying no is part of the job and often, is said because you do love them. I mean, what do us moms have left anymore? Is nothing sacred and reserved for when you are heading toward adulthood?
