11 year old wants kajal and lip gloss for her cousin's engagement

saffron_drum_476424 May 2026

She asked very politely, with a list. Kajal, lip gloss, 'a little' of something sparkly on the eyelids. The function is next Sunday and her older cousins will all be dressed up. My instinct is a small yes for one evening. My mother's instinct, when I told her, was a long silence on the phone. I'm 56 and grew up in a house where none of this was discussed, so I genuinely don't know what other families with girls this age are doing now. Is a function-only rule a reasonable line, or will it be every school day by August? ❤️

2 comments

ginger_finch_33124 May 2026
Our daughter is only 5 and already reaches for her mother's kajal during every function. My wife's rule is 'functions only, and Amma puts it on'. So far it has held. At 5 that's easy, of course. At 11 I imagine the negotiation is better prepared, as yours seems to be.
banyan_camera_40624 May 2026
We allowed kajal and a tinted lip balm at 11 for a Pujo evening. Nothing terrible happened. She looked like herself, a bit shinier. It hasn't become a school-day thing, mainly because getting ready at 6.30 am is nobody's idea of fun ¯\_(ツ)_/¯