When I was younger, I remember a few times when my mom sent me right back up the stairs to change outfits because she thought my attire was inappropriate. Though I must admit when I was in elementary school, I insisted on wearing nothing but Nike sweatpants and sneakers, so my mom at times encouraged me to wear "nicer" clothing to school. But I always wanted to play sports on the playground and those "nicer" outfits would never do. But as I got older, I did push the envelope a few times. When I was in high school, I remember wanting to wear a super-short prom dress to the dance. I was all excited to wear it until my mother gave it two-thumbs down and told me to return it and to try again. That brings me to this week's moms talk.
Where do you draw the line when it comes to your kids' clothing? A friend of mine shared the article 'Parents, don't dress your girls like tramps' with me and it got me thinking. Why do young girls want to look so sexy, and are parents to blame, or is it the fault of the media? While young girls may dress provocatively, boys are also criticized for wearing baggy pants that fall down and show their bottoms. The article points out that someone must buy these clothes for kids and that someone is usually mom or dad. So, have you ever told your kids to change an outfit you deemed inappropriate and did you buy it? Does your family have rules about clothing? What’s the biggest problem that you see when it comes to your child’s wardrobe?
Julie Farrell
2:07 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
I haven't (yet, thank God) had to send my kids back to change....unless it was because they were lazy and tried leaving the house in their PJs, lol. I've been lucky so far, my daughters aren't overly interested in clothes that show too much. I remember one time my daughters' grandmother bought her a swimsuit that was two pieces, but connected on the sides. I hate two-piece (read: belly-showing or bikini) suits on kids, so I wasn't very happy about it. My daughter was sitting beside me at the pool and kept trying to pull the top down, she got very frustrated that her belly wouldn't be covered!
There've been a few times where I've had to tell them to put a shirt back at the store or something due to a plunging neckline, but once they realized where it would fall they were more than ready to return it to it's rightful rack.
I get so frustrated with the obsession with sex and "sexy" things these days. With it being everywhere our kids turn, on tv shows, print ads, music....it's even more our responsibility to teach them that less is more and there's SO much more to them than their bodies.
Pam Kelleher
2:30 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
I have two boys so far they are not into clothes so are happy to dress basic. My daughter is only seven and loves clothes but is not into that area yet. I will say she often does not match and I always support that. I love that she is proud of the crazy colors and I let her go! Obviously Ss they get older there will be issues but the way I raise them now will play a role in the way the choose to dress. We often talk about dancing with the stars and how much the dress had changed and is now too much for young kids. We talk about why the show thought the dancing part was not enough. I am all about conversation. I think it plants seeds about future issues.
Julie Farrell
2:50 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Right on about the conversations, Pam. Keeping that door open with your kids allows them to be more comfortable coming to you about certain things as they get older as well.
Tammy Hirsch
3:16 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
I loved the shared article. I don't understand why we don't let little girls just be little girls for as long as possible- I don't know why we let them dress like tweens when they are 5 and teenagers when they are 11. Childhood is so short- we don't need to accelerate the process- they have the rest of their lives to dress inappropriately-ha! It seems like our current cultural has an unhealthy emphasis on sexiness. Whatever happened to just plain cute? I think that like the other moms have said all this requires ongoing conversations about what is appropriate and what is inappropriate- even if everyone else seems to be wearing the inappropriate clothing.
Julie Farrell
3:21 pm on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
You're so right, Tammy!
Someone mentioned Justice as age-appropriate clothes. I've got to say the few times I've been in that store, they've had clothes that're exactly opposite of age-appropriate. They've got some cute accessories, but a lot of the clothes were geared toward tweens in kid sizes.
I'm so glad that my girls have their own styles, regardless of my younger daughter's mostly being because she's too lazy to bother with clothes that match or are cute, lol. Kids are forced to grow up so much earlier now, they know about things at an age they shouldn't, they take on more responsibility at a younger age than they should....yet they want to help everyone. They've just been pulled in so many different directions that I don't think they even know where they're headed.
AnnMarie Gubenko
10:55 am on Thursday, April 28, 2011
With my two boys, the discussion is always about going out in clothes that match and me wanting them to wear dressier shirts. We've always had "school shirts" (Gap, Old Navy, Aeropostale or Abercrombie) and "play" shirts (t-shirts from various sporting events or tournaments). Lately, the "play" shirts are the ones being worn to school (one of them even tried to wear one for Easter). I don't like it but it isn't a battle I need to fight (except on Easter). With my daughter, it is a whole other story. We just had a stand-off in the middle of Target because I wanted to buy her some clothes for when it gets warmer. I wanted to get her the shorts I always get her (sweat-type ones that go to right above the knee or middle of the thigh). She said she is tired of wearing shorts that aren't really shorts and picked out some she liked. They were like "Daisy Dukes". She ended up with no new clothes. The other thing we argue about is how tight the clothes fit. It seems she likes clothes that and I like them looser. Maybe that is my own issue, though. I agree with wanting to keep her as young as I can for as long as I can (and in a one piece bathing suit forever).
Julie Farrell
11:52 am on Thursday, April 28, 2011
At least you're lucky with your boys thus far, wanting to wear the play clothes usually means they're more comfortable at school....which IMO means they're less likely to follow trends and do their own thing.
As for your daughter, how old is she? I also have to ask where you find "sweatshorts", as we call them in my household....my girls prefer those to the up-the-rear ones we often find at Wal-Mart, and they tend to work better for them when they're at cheer practices near the end of the summer.
AnnMarie Gubenko
8:45 am on Saturday, May 7, 2011
Sorry, Julie. I never got an alert that there was another reply to this one. I get the sweatshorts at Target. Love them! I think they are only $4.50.
Julie Farrell
10:10 pm on Saturday, May 7, 2011
Oh wow! They're probably only in the kids section (mine are in that in-between kids/juniors sizes stage), but it's definitely worth checking it out this year. Thanks! :)
P.S.
No worries on not seeing the post.