Little Girls

I’m not sure how I’ve been so lucky, but my eight year old is relatively innocent. In the days of padded bikinis and Shape Ups for Girls, my girl still likes dressing up in princess dresses and wearing modest clothing. Let me be honest, every day she is  a little more grown, a little more smart-mouthed, a little more savvy. But for the most part, she is sweet and kind and young which I recognize for the gift that it is.

I’ve seen what could be; the eight year old who looks fifteen complete with permanent eye-roll and skinny jeans. I knew I wanted to avoid that until she was at least in high school.

There are some proactive things we’ve done. We have limited television shows that has characters that are obnoxious or what we deem too mature. Then we’re honest with her about our motives. We tell her we don’t want her to watch something that might make her think it’OK to act like those people. She can watch iCarly, but if she dares act like Sam, she can kiss that show goodbye.

We also shop for clothes that look girly, not, well, slutty. Let’s face it, girls’ clothing is  a mine field. I have, probably subconsciously at first, avoided shirts with obnoxious sayings on them like diva or sassy.  I refuse to buy things that are mini versions of adult woman clothes. It’s hard sometimes. More and more she has an incredible little figure and looks great in all the clothes I wish I could wear. But I have to fight the urge to dress her as I would like and stick with clothes that look like they’re for a young girl. Again, we’re honest about our motives. She rarely asks for things that she can’t have but when she does I explain that there is time for those clothes, when she’s older and more mature. Right now, her job is modesty. I tell her to let her personality be her style piece, not her belly shirt or ruffled string bikini.

The result is and has been for some time, that she has creativity when it comes to making outfits of her clothes. She has been putting things together in all sorts of looks since she was two years old. Sometimes it makes me crazy but I let it go. After all, she has to have some say in the way she looks. And the girl’s got style and I love it.

Especially because it’s age appropriate style.