Before I woke up this morning, I hadn’t a clue who LZ Granderson was. That was before I logged in to my Facebook account and saw no less than 28 of my friends had shared an article Mr. Granderson wrote called “Parents, don’t dress your girls like tramps” this morning. Next up was my email. I’ve lost count but I’ve gotten the link to this arcticle from at least 10 people already, and am waiting for more. My neighbor, K, sent it over- I was almost waiting for her to.
I’ve been thinking about this article all day and if I could possibly do some really “blogtastic” version of a high five, with Mr. Granderson, I would.
Maybe twice.
Maybe more.
Mr. Granderson has expressed things I’ve thought in my head and said myself, so many times over the years, just nowhere near as eloquently.
I saw someone at the airport the other day who really caught my eye.
Her beautiful, long blond hair was braided back a la Bo Derek in the movie “10″ (or for the younger set, Christina Aguilera during her “Xtina” phase). Her lips were pink and shiny from the gloss, and her earrings dangled playfully from her lobes.
You can tell she had been vacationing somewhere warm, because you could see her deep tan around her midriff thanks to the halter top and the tight sweatpants that rested just a little low on her waist. The icing on the cake? The word “Juicy” was written on her backside.
Yeah, that 8-year-old girl was something to see alright. … I hope her parents are proud. Their daughter was the sexiest girl in the terminal, and she’s not even in middle school yet.
I dress my children like children. We don’t do skimpy and we don’t do revealing. That time comes way too fast, and I want them to be little. They are little kids. There’s no reason to draw attention for no reason to their bodies. I want my 5 year old to wear dresses that make her look 5. I LIKE seeing her look like a 5 year old!! She’s 5!
Little girls aren’t- and should NOT be- sex objects. They should not be sexualized. Thong panties and push up bras shouldn’t even be close to a world where children shop- but they are. Granderson is right- we can’t just blame the companies for making these items, because you know what? They are selling them. Obviously someone is buying them.
As a parent, it is MY job to parent my children. Just because someone makes it doesn’t mean I have to buy it. Just because they want it doesn’t mean I have to buy it. My kids, my rules. I grew up in a strict household. Peer pressure didn’t step one foot in our house. Wasn’t welcome. No ma’am.
My role in their life is not to be my kids’ friend. I’m their mother, and I’m their parent. Its my job and my responsibility, I believe, to give them a foundation so that when they do go out into the world they have some common sense and a bit of self esteem.
Friendship comes later.
Sexuality should come later. Way later. WAY later.
Call me old school, call me old fashioned, I’m ok with that. I’m comfortable right here in old school town, being old fashioned. I like it here. I know my kids are going to hate some of the things we say and do as their parents in the coming years.
Maybe my kids will write a blog about how stuffy and boring their mom was. Maybe they’ll even link back to my posts, should they still be floating around cyberspace, and shake their heads in disbelief.
If you’ve not yet read Granderson’s post, please do. I want to know what you all think of it!
About Brett
well said!
This man must have been reading my mind!!! I think it is so irresponsible for parents to let their little girls dress like tramps. Why do they do it? Let them be little girls and if they want to dress like a tramp, they can do it when they are of legal age and are living on their own, although I don’t know why they would want to.
I agree with you totally. Parents should be parents.
Yet, I’ll tell you what an adult family member said to me one time, “I want to be my child’s best friend. I want to have what they want, so they won’t commit suicide one day like so
many kids do now a days.”
So out of some strange fear, that family member instead wanted to be a best buddy and
give their child whatever they wanted, to try and prevent a future suicide in their child.
I told them this thinking was flawed and suggested they seek family counseling.
It was a wonderful article and he made some VERY valid points. I agree with you- I can be friends with my child once they are 18, not in jail or pregnant at 13. It is my job to parent them, and that means saying NO and making sure she goes to a very disciplined school and we adhere to tenets of our church. People bemoan the loss of innocence of kids, but don’t do anything when they see something wrong. Kudos to the author for calling out the marketing executives as well as the purchasing parents!
Love it! Totally agree. I’m “old fashioned” too!