Hooray! I am so glad to see someone else has noticed how inappropriate children's clothes are these days. I am a 25 year-old mother of a 2 year-old daughter, and I am dreading the day she starts wanting to dress like 'all the other girls.' Between the very popular Bratz dolls (which she will own over my dead body) and their ilk, and the sexy clothes they are marketing to increasingly younger children, I wonder what her choices will be in 10 years. Why can't we just let our children be children? Why do we have to sexualize our sweet innocent daughters? And while I'm no feminist, why aren't more mothers teaching their daughters respect for themselves and their bodies? What happened to teaching our daughters self reliance and that they don't need to get their self worth from the number of men (or boys) drooling all over them? My daughter is a beautiful redhead, and I know she will be eye-catching as she grows up, but my hope is that she will know that she's so much more than a pretty face, and that she has value beyond her looks, which sooner or later will fade. I hope she cultivates talents that will keep her too busy to notice when they do.

As an aside, I am all for school uniforms which are less expensive than most of the other school clothes, and you don't have to worry that you bought the 'wrong brand.' Yes, I know some kids will have better shoes, hairstyles, and toys, but I think uniforms would take a lot of the stress out of school shopping for kids. When I was a kid, of course I hated the idea of uniforms, but as an adult, I can see the wisdom in it.

I too am concerned about the oversexualization of children. I'm sure I'm over generalizing here, but we seem willing to allow our children to dress and act provocatively and yet not providing the sexual education that should go along with it. On a semi related note, why would you proclaim you're not a feminist? Your ideas are certainly feminist in nature.

A feminist is simply someone (male or female) who believes that women should have economic and social equality with men. Why do you say you aren't a feminist? Sounds like you are.

And I agree with everything you said!

I would recommend sending her to a school with uniforms, or home schooling her (get a group of like-minded parents for support and socialization). It really helps place the focus on learning.

And I also wanted to say a cheers to redheads. We usually march to our own drummers, so she stands a decent chance of deflecting the men who will, no doubt, try to distract her. (And I know there is no science behind my comment on redheads, but for other redheads out there, wouldn't you agree that there is a certain comraderie and general weirdness associated with us?)

Yes, I would. I used to wonder about it. I think part of it is because I was also pointed out in a crowd. And part of it was because if I played into things peopel thought, I could get what I wanted out of the situation.

Which sounds REALLY manipulative until you consider that letting someone think your one way and hitting 'em between the eyes that your something more tends to only have to be done once. Proving I could back up whatever smart commenst I made to the entirely male family I have on my father's side only had to be done once, and then I was allowed to just be me.

Since I was a girl, a redhead, who just liked to be off on her own, the word got around that the redhead over on 6th was to be left alone. She could kick butt and she was weird too. She read Shakespeare, just cause. It was nice to not get made fun off, because people knew I was a tiny spitfire.

Redheads do have quite a reputation. And many of us live up to it. When it's convenient, anyway. *wink*