As I waited in the departure lounge of a local airport, I noticed there were many children about but it was understandable since it was summer holiday. One other thing I noticed was the way most of the children were dressed. Most of them, especially the girls, were dressed in bum shorts, halter necks, cut off jeans, etc. The clothes in themselves weren't the issue per se; it was the overall look of the children that had me bothered. That was definitely not the first time I noticed it.


A few months before, I had taken my kids to a birthday party and found myself in what could easily have been a night club for kids. Scanty clothing such as tight or very short clothes, bum shorts, long weaves, etc, seemed to be the dress code. I noticed my daughter glancing around her, probably wondering, "What in God's world are these other children wearing?" Or something like that.



Not long after, the kids were called out to dance to the hit songs of the season - these songs in my opinion should be rated PG 13. 4-6 year olds trooped to the dance floor, miming the sexually explicit songs and gyrating their bodies in the most sensual manner. They could have given Beyounce a run for her money.


They ran their hands over their bodies, shook their booties hard while their parents cheered them on. The boys had their upper shirts unbuttoned and rapped along perfectly to gangsta raps while doing flawless break dance.


Those who danced like actual children where shooed off the dance floor while the lewd ones were cheered on. As I watched, my child stared out of this circle looking longingly at the others dancing. I knew it was time to leave. As we left, we went to a eatery where I bought them ice cream and gently explained to them the concept of decency and dancing with decorum.

Another time, at a game arcade for kids, I ran into a lady who had made-up her kids' faces like they were mannequins for Tara or Mac beauty products. Their skirts were so tight, that running up and down the slide was uncomfortable for them.




So the question is, why are we sexualizing our kids? Why does your 4, 6 or 9 year old girl have to look like a chick? Why does she have to be hot or sexy? Should your 8 year old son go around with a comb in his hair and his pants sagged almost to his ankles?


If your child wears bum shorts out of the house at age 3, why should she be expected to wear longer ones at 15? If she wears 2 rings and 12 bangles at 6, why won't she pierce a second ear hole at 17 and her bellybutton at 19?

Why won't your son pierce his own ear at 15? Are you setting your children up to be immodest and indecent? What trend are you starting them on? That all these are fashionable or trendy doesn't mean it's ok.


Some parents even dress their children like this to church. Church!

What are you teaching the child? What happened to children wearing dresses to church? Children can look very nice and decent, they can be well covered and still look good. In this age, when children are being abused, is it wise to make your child an object of anyone's sexual attention?

When I hear some children belt out sexually explicit lyrics, I ask myself how they became exposed to this songs! As a parent, you can't play the CD of such songs and not expect your children to pick them up; the same goes for watching Mtv Base, Channel O, etc with your children.

Studies have shown that children exposed to a high level of sexually explicit information tend to become sexually active early. Is that your goal as a parent?

Being a Parent involves sacrifice. You will need to avoid listening to such music where your children are.

Most of those lyrics demean women and teach your daughter that she's just a intimacy gadget and her body is for squeezing. It teaches the boys that money is everything and women are things to be used to satisfy their primal urges. These music introduces them to a degrading pop culture.

Our children have their lives ahead of them, let's set them on the right path by teaching them to dress decently and sing nice or age-appropriate songs. Let your children be children. Train up a child in the way that s/he should go and when s/he is old, s/he would not depart from it.




Do you agree that children are unnecessarily exposed to sexually explicit elements? Is it possible that some parents are victims themselves or is it that they don't know any better?

crackhaus:
Who or what do we blame for this now?

Someone help me out, I'm itching to type something...

jaymejate:
That bum short is what i hate most o. Why will a mother choose that kind of dressing for an innocent child? These causes R ape . These crazy jeans is now something else. I pray this modern parent will be able to control the dressing of their children. Charity begins at home.

bukatyne:
@OP:

100% on point.

Makeup/weaves/bum shorts/nail polish/dangling earrings etc etc are not for kids. I can't even wrap my head round the cr.az.y dance steps kids do in birthday parties and other gatherings

Kids have this innocent beauty that should be preserved at ALL COSTS.

Kids here is the range 0 - 16

Hannysmilez:
This issue don tire me. Gone are the days that parents dress daughters in tiaras and dresses. Kids no longer watch disney and the likes and it's the adults that encourage them. I recently discovered that my daughter was engrossed in a Bollywood soap because her teacher said she should watch it and 'gist' her.

SAMBARRY:
I don't see any thing wrong in wearing bum shorts and a tshirt for my daughter. The only issues I agree with is braiding or fixing their hair like adults. That's a no no for me

make up is also a no no.

If my daughter is going out she either wears all this cinderella ball gowns to kiddies party or church and or wear jeans and top.

Halter neck spaghetti and so on depends on the location

Roland17:
The level of moral decadence all in the name of trendy fashion is absolutely deplorable, we have virtually succeeded in convicting our conscience of wrongdoing for thinking otherwise thus reel out excuses why these insane habits are termed normal and trendy.

There is absolutely no way toddlers, pre teenagers should parade the streets on bum shorts or any sort of revealing cloth, the short itself is reserved for the house or a beach wear and mostly for adults who are mature enough to understand the responsibility that comes along with exposure of body parts not an outing wear that exposes the kids to the consciousness of their sexuality and how the modern society filled with wolfs view it and sadly they have absolutely no idea what they are wearing, the pleasure is enjoyed by the guardian or parent(s) who derives satisfaction from looking at her toddler dressed "to kill".

Being an adult is about accepting and understanding responsibilities and not shunting them, all I see in today's supposed adults are people filled with excuses to be irresponsible and irrational in their actions especially in the presence of minors.

A female colleague at works often listened to songs with provocative and leud languages and severally rants along, cursing along with the rappers, she swears she never uses such in the presence of her kids who are between 2-6, o well recently there was a summer get together organized for employees, family and friends of employees were invited..well the second son who is 4 got mad at the 6 year old sister over some candy and yelled "Bit...ch give me my candy" not once but thrice just to convince everyone we did not hear correctly, everyone's attention swung at them and the embarrassment was immense, suffice to say the shame was unbearable for her, she grabbed all three and they left through the back.

We can not continue to deny our actions and inactions directly influence young minds who innocently are receptive to their immediate environment...we have a responsibility to every kid and minor amongst us to consciously protect their innocence until they are mature enough to understand responsibility.

Being an adult is all about responsibility and sacrifice..

MusingsOfALady:


Bum shorts and halter neck in the house or to the beach is ok. I don't agree with anywhere else. Also if a child wears it when young, how do you know say its unacceptable later?

Roland17:
The level of moral decadence all in the name of trendy fashion is absolutely deplorable, we have virtually succeeded in convicting our conscience of wrongdoing for thinking otherwise thus reel out excuses why these insane habits are termed normal and trendy.

There is absolutely no way toddlers, pre teenagers should parade the streets on bum shorts or any sort of revealing cloth, the short itself is reserved for the house or a beach wear and mostly for adults who are mature enough to understand the responsibility that comes along with exposure of body parts not an outing wear that exposes the kids to the consciousness of their sexuality and how the modern society filled with wolfs view it and sadly they have absolutely no idea what they are wearing, the pleasure is enjoyed by the guardian or parent(s) who derives satisfaction from looking at her toddler dressed "to kill".

Being an adult is about accepting and understanding responsibilities and not shunting them, all I see in today's supposed adults are people filled with excuses to be irresponsible and irrational in their actions especially in the presence of minors.

A female colleague at works often listened to songs with provocative and leud languages and severally rants along, cursing along with the rappers, she swears she never uses such in the presence of her kids who are between 2-6, o well recently there was a summer get together organized for employees, family and friends of employees were invited..well the second son who is 4 got mad at the 6 year old sister over some candy and yelled "Bit...ch give me my candy" not once but thrice just to convince everyone we did not hear correctly, everyone's attention swung at them and the embarrassment was immense, suffice to say the shame was unbearable for her, she grabbed all three and they left through the back.

We can not continue to deny our actions and inactions directly influence young minds who innocently are receptive to their immediate environment...we have a responsibility to every kid and minor amongst us to consciously protect their innocence until they are mature enough to understand responsibility.

Being an adult is all about responsibility and sacrifice..

crackhaus:
Who or what do we blame for this now?

Someone help me out, I'm itching to type something...

coogar:


who else would you blame other than the idïotic mothers dressing them up like hoodrats. women can be very silly with the way they train their kids. there has to be a law that prevents some women from having/training kids. no father would dress up his daughter in bumshorts with lewd make-up on her face. this has the signature of irresponsible mothers all over it!

coogar:


who else would you blame other than the idïotic mothers dressing them up like hoodrats. women can be very silly with the way they train their kids. there has to be a law that prevents some women from having/training kids. no father would dress up his daughter in bumshorts with lewd make-up on her face. this has the signature of irresponsible mothers all over it!

freecocoa:
Doesn't the father get any blame?

coogar:


nigerian father painting the face of his daughters for a party?

freecocoa:
Not painting the face ofcourse, not doing anything about it.

classicB:
This is an example of what happens when a slut decides to have a child for someone like her, cos i cnt even imagine how kids would be dressed that way!! Our African nature is slowly dieing down, babymama everywhere, and the society even celebrates that.
Who born me well to dress scantily even as an adult? my daddy had 10girls and we know what it means to have 10GiRLS, he brought us all up in modesty, my roomate still calls me S.U even tho i wear trouser and do a litttle makeup, i wouldnt even be comfortable exposing sensitive parts of my body, not to talk of small kids.
The problem lies with mothers especially cos they feel like they own the kids and they know whats best for them.

classicB:

You're so correct, and if you check am well it either they are single mother or babymama
They want their kids to look fabulous from their tender age.

coogar:


the fathers are normally at work at these party hours. don't shift the blame.....he cannot provide the money for clothing, food, shelter, etc and still be held responsible for the kinda clothes the wife buys for the kids.

MusingsOfALady:
You can't totally absolve the Fathers, someone just commented on how her father brought her up. While the father dosent usually buy the clothes or applies the makeup, his responsibilty is not limited to providing. He should set the tone for what is acceptable and on his his children should be brought up.

The reason some women don't do it is because of their husbands.

freecocoa:
Haha! You don't know zilch about naija parties then, they even have 'daddies corners' at these parties.

I'm not trying to shift blame, I just want you to know you can't blame mothers alone, I know a man that buys clothes for his kids, and he buys lots of bumshorts, boots, tops, etc for them(his wife included) whenever he travels out of the country.

MusingsOfALady:
You can't totally absolve the Fathers, someone just commented on how her father brought her up. While the father dosent usually buy the clothes or applies the makeup, his responsibilty is not limited to providing. He should set the tone for what is acceptable and on his his children should be brought up.
The reason some women don't do it is because of their husbands.