No one wants to be like Michael Jackson

One of the things in life that annoys me is when children are dressed up or try to act like adults. I've seen eight year old girls wearing dresses and pearls, holding their purses and talking about how the last Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen straight to video movie was too pedestrian for their tastes. It creeps me out.

What is even more disgusting is the fact that they are a product of their parents. A normal child when given the opportunity to dress themselves will end up in some ridiculous outfit that is so individualistic and awesome that you can only smile and send them out into the world. One girl at work showed up for a lesson wearing a Dr. Seuss hat and tie dyed shirt and said she looked "groovy". That is what childhood is for.

Eventually, most people get that sense of individuality or creativeness beaten out of them. They are teased or mocked .. generally by older kids or by the kids who had older "normal" siblings. That or it is literally beaten out of them. Why must we try to rush adulthood on these children? It isn't cute ... and if you think it is cute when they are dressing like adults at age eight then you better think it's cute when they dress and acct like whores at fifteen.

Ok that may have been a little harsh, but it is a rant and all.

Why can't we just let children be children? Why do we dress them up to be our little clones. Or worse, the clones of our lost dreams? Or even worse than that ... why do mothers insist on putting little boys in sailor suits? How is that ever a good idea?


In the end, we should be protecting the imagination and individuality of our children. We live in a culture that destroys individualism. We hold it up as something to strive for and then use capitalism and consumerism to drive the majority's view of what an individual looks and sounds like. When we start this on our children we end up taking away their childhood. Look at all the child actors or musicians that are royally screwed up now. Their childhood was taken and now they are insane or alcoholics or drugged out. Or worse. They are Michael Jackson. Let your children be themselves for as long as they can in this society or they will turn into Michael Jackson.