Why oh why can't our children just be children!

I wasn't going to comment about this as I thought so many bloggers would have done so and probably done a far better job that I at expressing the rage caused by pole dancing classes for children not just children, small children from the age of 3! but the more I think about it the more angry, annoyed and outraged I get so I need to vent that!

Here in the UK at a dance studio in Northampton, Pole dancing for children as young as 3 are being offered, the instructor defends her decision to teach this class by saying that it keeps them fit and gives them confidence um so does a drama class or gymnastics for that matter! This comes on the back of a week where we heard about a beauty parlour again here in England for under 13's offering fakes tans and makeovers to children as young as 1!

What the F*~k is the world coming to? Seriously this is how much this angers me! Let's start with the Pole dancing, what child would ask to do pole dancing? Seriously I'm asking you? Because this really worries me, children talk about and ask to do things they are exposed to, things that they see and want to emulate. My 2 year old has started asking to do ballet( hard enough to find a local class for her to do that ) we're pretty sure that this is because Peppa Pig went to ballet class, it's what they see! She's talks about going to the gym because I go to the gym! She wants to be a cadet because her dad is a cadet instructor, it's all about what they're exposed to! So what the hell are these kids being exposed to?

Now on to the beauty parlour, most little girls want to try on mummies make-up I'm sure most of you who have daughters have had the scenario where you're getting ready to go out and they're sat with you and ask for lipstick too so you let them have a little dab, you pretend to put eyeshadow on them you let them join in with you, see again back to what they see! You don't take them for a full makeover! They are children!!!! Children are supposed to play,they're supposed to get dirty in the garden making mud pies, digging for worms, not get a facial and a fake tan!

God this makes me angry, but who am I angry at the companies that provide these services? They see a niche in the Market and aim to fill it, the media for giving us sexualised images everywhere we turn, you only have to look at most music videos to see some semi-naked young girls writhing about in such a sexual manner that it would make your mother blush! No it's the parents, I'm afraid on this one it really is, it's the parents that pay for these classes, the parents that pay for theses services and it should be the parents that make the decisions about what their children are going to do or take part in but it seems that there are far too many parents that either have forgotten that they are the parent or are giving in to child and peer pressure we've all had the line "but so and so's mum let's them do it!", my response has always been well good for them but I'm your mum and I don't think it's appropriate! See it's called responsibility!


Then I wonder if these are the same parents that are buying their children bra and knicker sets at 4, future footballers wife t-shirts and of course let's not forget too many boys, too little time! All these clothes actually exist! But again they wouldn't exist unless there was a Market for them and again who has the money, the parents!

God this has me outraged and I'm not usually one to blame the parents, I look at contributing factors but on this there really is no one else to blame, We as parents have choice, we can choose what our young children watch, I still vet programmes for my 14 year old in case I find them inappropriate!,we have choice in what they wear and even if they beg and argue about an item of clothing when they get to a certain age, we are the ones paying for it so have a right to reach a compromise or simply say "no I don't think that's appropriate for someone your age" you can tell I've had to say this line more than once it also goes with the line "your dad would have a heart attack if he saw you in that! You don't want to kill your dad, do you?" see, parent of teenage daughters! But it's my choice, that's the point I'm trying to make there is far too much awful stuff going in this world, far too much that our young children don't need to be exposed to, children should be allowed to be children for as long as possible shouldn't they? And it's our duty as parents to let them be just that, surely?


I'm really interested in your thoughts on this so please tell me what you think and I feel so much better for venting my frustration! so Thank you.