Is your teen a little *too* into skincare?

Hey, everyone! Gratitude is a big theme this time of year (and in this newsletter, keep reading 👀), so we want to start with a big, fat THANK YOU to everyone who came to our Toronto show this past weekend—y’all were ROWDY! And we felt so lucky to have some of our kids there repping the next generation. 💪 Can’t thank you enough for making this tour the best few months of our lives! You all rock and we can’t wait to get back out there. 2024, what’s up??

Now let’s jump in → 

Is the Tween Skincare Obsession Harmful?

Didn’t have this one on my bingo card: Tweens (including ours!) are asking for lavish, expensive skincare products as holiday gifts. And no use reminding them they already have an unfair amount of collagen and a naturally youthful glow...we tried.

When your 11-year-old says they “have to have” vitamin C serum that’ll put you (sorry…Santa) back $100+? It’s worth a closer look at why tweens are increasingly interested in elaborate skincare routines like the ones they see on TikTok (from Kim Kardashian’s 9-year-old daughter, North, among others)...and whether you should be concerned.

Experts told Today that young kids who know what eye serum is before they know the birds & bees probably just want to be like the cool, older women they see doing their own morning and evening skin rituals. Translation: You don’t need to panic.

“Sometimes we put adult lenses on things. For example, kids are probably attracted to skin care simply because they think it’s fun and the products smell good—we’re panicking that next they're going to want anti-aging treatments,” Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, a pediatric psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, told Today. “We’re putting our own grown-up fears onto them.”

Still, this is worth a conversation with your child. Here’s what to say and do if your young tween or teen starts begging for hyaluronic acid:

• Ask an open-ended question. Try something like “I noticed you’re super into skincare right now. What got you so excited about it?”

• Talk to your kids about what can work for them. Kids should be using products that are labeled hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic.

• Make it a memory. Try hosting a fun (and cheap) at-home spa day with mud masks, sugar scrubs, and bubble baths. Here are some ideas to get you started.

What to do When Your Kid Fails

When a child missteps, rebels, or makes mistakes, it can feel like we as parents have failed them. It’s scary to watch from the sidelines as children make poor decisions that could impact their future—and we’ve all been there! 

But you have to remember: Resilience is a muscle. Kids have to go through struggles and missteps to become more emotionally strong and capable of bouncing back on their own. Mistakes and failures aren’t necessarily detrimental to a child’s future and learning how to let go and reframe our child’s missteps will help us prepare them for the real world.

That was the theme of our latest (bonus!) interview with Michelle Icard. We learned so much and we think you will, too. Check it out here.

Teens Are a Full-Time Job…Literally

Would you ever consider this? Some parents are actively taking a step back from their careers or taking leave entirely to spend more time with their teenagers. They’re calling it “teen-ternity leave,” and the point is to give parents (at least those who have the privilege of not working) more time to spend on the challenges of raising teens. You can read more here, then tell us:

How to Raise Grateful Kids

The holidays are a time for enjoying what we’ve got, not hoping for what we don’t. But teaching that lesson to kids can be tough. How do you keep them from becoming entitled? How do you show them that gratitude is the best feeling? How do you make sure you’re not spoiling them?

Our friend and parenting expert Alyson Schafer gave us the full rundown last year and the lessons are better than ever today. Listen here if you’re a Common Parent member and sign up here if you’re not!

The perfect recs to help your kids stay focused as they finish the semester and round the corner on winter break. Because we could all use a little help in getting sh*t done before we check out for the holidays.

• Got an easily distractible teen (or feel like one yourself)? Here are 10 tips to keep them on task.

• These pointers for helping kids with ADHD focus were so good.

• For the Common Parent crew: How to get your kids to listen…without mom guilt.

• Got a teen taking midterms or exams soon? Here’s how you can best support them.