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Advice: child startung to notice birthmark

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  • 16-04-2007 8:21am
    #1
    kenco
    Registered Users Posts: 1,080 ✭✭✭


    Folks

    Would love a heads up from anyone with experience on this one....

    Ours daughter (2 1/2yrs) has a significant, though fading, birthmark around her chest and back.

    Recently she has been asking about it and we told her that it was her mark. She then asked us if we had marks too and all we could think of was showing her some scars we both have.

    Naturally we dont want her to be self conscious of the birthmark especially at this age. Our concern has always been that the older she gets the more of an issue it will be for her.

    The specialists think it should be fully faded by the time she is 9 or 10 but we would love some advice from anyone who is dealing with this or has dealt with it in the past.

    Thanks in advance


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    #2
    sonners
    Registered Users Posts: 317 ✭✭sonners


    My niece is 2 yrs 4 months and has a large scar on her back and a few minor ones on her torso from heart surgery when she was just two weeks old. She has started pointing them out and noticing other kids dont have them.

    Her mam and I have taken a similar approach to yours. We've shown her our scars and told her the great stories behind them. Make them out to be cool, exciting, etc. She now seems excited to show off her scar and is proud to be different. Our view on it is that scars are reminders of battles we have fought and won. They should be embraced and not hidden.

    EDIT:
    I just remembered I had a strawberry birthmark on my scalp when I was younger too. Think it probably faded in around the same timelines as you have been given and I dont ever remember it bothering me. My mother would have taken the same approach as you and it seemed to work ok on me! hope this helps.


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    #3
    Crea
    Registered Users Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭Crea


    My son has a birthmark on the palm of his hand. When he asked me about it I said that it was a mark when he was born and when I had him in the hospital I always knew he was my special baby because of his special mark. It's a story he loves hearing. Be open about it and allow her to talk about it, she'll know she's different but make that a good thing.


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    #4
    CrazyRabbit
    Registered Users Posts: 8,659 ✭✭✭CrazyRabbit


    Have to agree with the others. Paint it in a positive light and she'll be fine. Or just pass it off as being 100% normal (which it is anyway)

    I have a birthmark on my belly, and it never bothered me since the day I asked my mum about it and she replied "Ah, that's JUST a birthmark. It's no big deal. Lots of people have them". It wasn't fussed over, so it never made me feel different from anyone else.


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