...when you realize your children and your clothes are about the same age...
With so much discussion about turning 30 and so many (too many to link) of you having babies and such, it has drawn in sharp relief the inescapable fact that I am biologically old enough to have given birth to the whole lot of you. OK, well most of you anyway (the exceptions shall remain nameless, of course). In any case, I usually try to avoid acting my age, but the effort has become futile of late. So today I'm coming out: I'm 44 and I think I'm having a midlife crisis. The good thing about this is that if you do the math, having a midlife crisis at 44 means you've still got a long way to keep going, baby. Granted you all have entire decades ahead of you before you have to worry about this, but I still feel it's my duty to prepare you for what lies ahead, Forewarned is forearmed. Or something like that. Here's a short guide to the upsides and the downsides of middle age: Downsides first: Midlife crises are a sexist phenomenon. Cases in point: Harrison Ford...
Comments
Fishnets are skank on adults let alone babies.
And if you're old enough to drive.
I do however have an issue with the objectification of women and the sexualization of little girls. Whether or not it's men, boys, women or girls who are party to it.
I also happen to understand very well that these kinds of issues affect our boys as well as our girls.
And if I hear my 11-year-old daughter sing the lyrics to "Fergalicious" one more time I'm going to scream!
Sorry CW, just had to do it.
Bratz have not been or will never be in my home. I have been really lucky that my 11 year old has not been impressed with any of this. She (so far) enjoys being modest, and thinks Paris, Linsday and and Britney are disgusting.
I just hope she stays that way.
I remember how sad I felt when she and our 5 year old foster daughter were playing Barbies. The 5 year old said, I'm going to pretend I'm making cookies waiting for my kids to get home from school and my husband to get home from work. Our 7 year old piped up and said, "I'm going to pretend I dropped out of school, am pregnant and don't know who the father is."
This was all pre-the-day of Bratz dolls, Fergie, Paris and Britney. My point? I'm not really sure other than to say the exposure was there nonetheless for my daughter. I agree that kids in general are being sexualized earlier and earlier. It is in your face everywhere you turn.
Makes me glad the rest of mine are boys. And in total tasteless humor . . . As a mother of a son, I only have to worry about one penis compared to the mother of a daughter, who has to worry about ALL of them.
How did you come to want to ask this question?
Some of my thoughts on this are not my own.
It also seemed to be a natural follow-up to my previous post.
I seriously want to know, WHO ARE THESE GIRL'S MOTHERS?
I may get boo-ed for this, but I don't think fishnets are inherently evil. I wore a pair to church last week (albeit with a smart skirt and a pair of boots). But then, I'm a rebel.
It's all about knowing what's appropriate. I wouldn't let my nine-year-old wear my black fishnets any more than I'd allow her to put on my IPEX bra. I worry about my girls all the time, but they're pretty smart kids. The one I really have to watch is the youngest, who is so into makeup and wanting to be older, that I'm constantly reigning her in. She accuses me of not loving her as much as I love her sisters, because I let them have more grown-up clothes and shoes. *sigh*
daredevil: and you looked great! But don't get me started on the "you love them more than me" that is the WORST!
R
Our house is a Barbie-Bratz free sanctuary where one may walk freely without stepping on plastic spiky doll high heels or seeing their child play with little prostitute action figures.
My two cents: I worked for several years on an inpatient eating disorder unit... As with most stories, there's a whole lot more to this than Bratz.
Early sexualization is a core issue, but the dolls (or their fishnets) aren't the ones who create it.