raising my kids with unconditional love
helping them grow into independent and self-sufficient young people
teaching them values such as integrity, honesty, kindness, empathy and the importance of being humble
and as all you parents know...this is no small feat...
especially with the added pitfalls, twists and turns society throws our way...
This weekend I came across an unusual amount of FB posts & blog posts that highlighted one of my biggest struggles I feel I face as a parent - the seemingly simple goal of trying to allow my children to live and exist at the chronological age that they are, without any labels, expectations or sexualization put upon them. This t-shirt is just one of the seemingly innocent examples of what I believe is a MUCH bigger problem in society...
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| CHILDREN'S PLACE T-SHIRT |
- Is it really that odd/strange that one of my greatest wishes for my daughter is for her to grow and develop into a strong, confident, intelligent woman who knows her own strength emotionally, physically and mentally?
- Is it wrong that I want her to enjoy being 11 and not be rushed into 'tween' hood or even teenage-hood before she actually is a teenager?
- Is it really that hard to teach our girls that they can be a confident student in all subjects, especially math? (I have worked really hard at to ensure she NEVER says 'I hate math' - but that is another blog post)
- Is it really that unusual to teach her that her body is amazing and the strength and physical ability of what it is capable of amazes me? To see her learn how hard she can push herself and what she is capable of is one of my greatest joys... She knows she is powerful... may she always feel that way about herself.
The other post that disturbed me was a blog about a very popular song on the radio - 'Blurred Lines'. You can see the original post HERE. While I do acknowledge that there are much worse lyrics and songs out there, the fact that this has become the 'norm' and we as a society are so unaffected by it, bothers me - A LOT. Yes, there have always been questionable/offensive/vulgar lyrics in songs but never has there been such a bombardment of these on regular radio...since when does bleeping out the F word make the song G and acceptable for all audiences? We don't let little kids into R rated movies so why do we let them listen to R rated songs?
But more than anything, the sexualization of our children at younger and younger ages worries me the most...I just watched an old navy commercial where a young girl (9-11) is going back to school and clearly has the attention of a 'cute' boy and flirts with him...seems innocent to most I assume, but I have to ask...why are we even portraying children like this? I don't understand why this angle needs to be taken...
- Why does Victoria Secret market and sell thong underwear to children...
- Why did Disney think for even a moment that Merida needed a makeover?
- Since when did 'My Little Pony' need to wear short skirts and thigh high boots?
These are only a couple of examples of the constant 'noise' that I have to fight off in raising my girls...and it brings me back to my original thought --- parenting is hard enough...stop making it so much harder!
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