Irresponsible Parenting: Misguided Lessons for Young Girls

Sometimes I wonder why some people become parents. In recent months two incidents involving mothers and their four-year-old daughters have come into the national spotlight. One mother dressed her four-year-old daughter as Dolly Parton complete with fake breasts. The other mother dressed her four-year-old as a prostitute for a laugh and paraded her in the neighborhood. I do not understand how a mother thinks it is okay to do this to her child. They seem to not understand the effects it can have on a young girl. The mothers are teaching their daughters that physical appearance should be a priority, to compare themselves to others, and the mothers are exploiting their daughters just for a laugh. These situations are morally wrong in my eyes.

To begin with, young girls should just be able to focus on having tea parties, play dates, and slumber parties with their friends. Their mothers should not be dressing them as Dolly Parton or prostitutes. Both of these outfits relay

Girls should be learning that it is okay to be different and that not everyone should look or act the same way. For example, children need to learn that there are various skin, hair and eye colors that should all be embraced. Their mothers should be telling them that if everyone looked and acted the same everyone would be boring and no one would want to meet new people. Meeting new people is crucial for a young person because interacting with peers helps them learn and grow. Encouraging children as young as four to solely judge someone on their physical attractiveness instills a vein mindset. Focusing on looks may hinder the girls from experiencing various things that may not appear glamorous on the outside. For example, a friendship with the new girl in class may never