Unacceptable Behavior in Girls

All of us have a few pet peeves that just irk us to no end. I was reminded of one of my biggest pet peeves this week.

It all starts out like any other rushed got to get the oldest off to school day. I usually pick with my oldest son to get him in a good mood and ready for his day after he has eaten breakfast, and gotten dressed. I would like to point out that my sons are 7 and 2 so I still pick their clothes and pretty much dictate what they are wearing on any given day.

My last statement of I pick out their clothes and pretty much dictate what they wear brings me to my pet peeve and my point. With the weather turning warmer of course kids are starting to wear their shorts, sandals, skirts, flip flops and so on.

I took my oldest son to school, got out of my car and then got both my kids out of the car to head into the school and wait for the first bell to ring. As we were walking into the school there were a lot of other kids walking around us. Some were with their Moms or Dads and some were being dropped off in front of the school to make their way into the gym or cafeteria to wait for the bell to ring. I also began to notice today more then any other how some of these parents allow their kids, well correction here, how some of these parents are allowing their daughters to dress.

I was absolutely stunned at some of what I saw! Little girls around the ages of 4-13 or so dressed like most women should not dress. It was rather disturbing and disgusting.

Maybe this bothers me more because I do not have to shop for little girls so I am not aware of the choices available. Ok, that maybe a lie, I do know that there are proper clothes for little girls at any given clothing store. These little girls are strutting, yes I said strutting around in super mini skirts, halter tops, tank tops with spaghetti straps and so on.

There are a few that bother me to no end on most mornings. However, one is a little girl in Pre-K that comes in with her Mom. I have talked with this little girl before and she is absolutely hilarious but the way that her Mother allows her to dress or the way her Mother dresses her is uncalled for. The Mom has a tattoo on her lower back that is quite visible on any given morning. This little Pre-K girl one morning last week had on a short shirt that kept riding up and on the lower part of her back you could see that someone had taken a marker and drew the same tattoo on her back that her Mom has. She had on a short, short skirt and some adorable age appropriate sandals.

There have been days I've seen things that most would agree are completely inappropriate for little girls let along some women to wear. And I continually see little girls wearing the halter tops, short skirts and so on to school. It is bad enough to see little girls dressed this way coming to school or going most anywhere, but there is more! These little girls are not only being dressed in an inappropriate manner but they are "acting the part" so to speak. These little girls come into school batting their eyes at boys 2 and 3 grades higher them, they come in giggling like a high school girl who's crush just talked to her for the first time. The whole time the parents who allowed them to dress this way or dressed them this way are just laughing right along with them over whatever got them giggling so much anyway.

Parents WAKE UP! We can not expect to let our daughters dress and act the way some of them are at this early age, then when they turn into teenagers and go "boy crazy" and want to go out and party or hang out with their friends turn around and say "You can't wear that" or "That's not appropriate for someone of your age". They will look at you like your nuts because this is how you have always to that point allowed them to dress and act.

If we want the daughters of the world to grow up to be all they can be and grow up to be respectable young women, then why on Earth would you start dressing them like this or why would you accept the unacceptable behaviors they are already demonstrating?

I look at some of these little girls and just shutter to think that in few years my sons could be bringing some of these little girls home to meet me and my husband, or telling me about their new girlfriend so and so. Just to finally see who they were talking about and realize that, that is one of the little girls that acted so poorly years before and is still acting poorly now, and her parents are still allowing the poor behavior.

Do not get me wrong, kids, boys and girls alike for the most part act the way they are taught or as they get older and develop their own style and personality act the way they are comfortable with. I am not saying that we need to cover girls from head to toe so no skin is visible like years and years ago. But, for Pete's sake use some common sense and think in the long run what you are teaching your daughters about behavior and what is acceptable. Just like parents of daughters do not want their daughter bringing home a boy that is unacceptable in their eyes. Mothers of boys do not want their sons bringing home unacceptable little girls either.

We need to teach our children from the time they are old enough to understand what is and what is not acceptable for their given ages. We as parents are not going to let our 5 and 6 year olds run around with cigarettes in their mouths or an alcoholic drink in their hands, not only for the obvious that it is illegal but because it is just wrong and unacceptable. That maybe a strong and somewhat inappropriate example but that is the point I am trying to make. It is not acceptable for kids to do and act the way some of them do. It is not acceptable for some parents to treat their small daughters like they are 20 and 25 years old. It goes back to what I am sure some of us women heard as children from our parents about ourselves or other little girls about "She must think she's 30" and of course they girl they were speaking of was only about 12 or 13.

I do not know what it will take to get parents to wake up to the fact they are teaching unacceptable behaviors and habits that will carry with a child their entire life. I am not sure what type of world we are living in that parents would allow such behavior in small children. Even more so I am not sure that anyone agrees with me, but every change starts with one person then moves to another and another. If we all that agree, that some parents are completely out of line with the behaviors they allow in their children to act and dress the way they do could pass this info and our opinions on to the parents of these children perhaps change would come. Then again that is somewhat naïve and hard headed of me to even think, but it is a hopeful thought and wish.