Article posted Wednesday, July 25, 2012 11:31am

Dear Mary Pat,

I am uncomfortable with how some young girls are dressing these days. My babysitter, for example, is 16 and wears clothes that aren’t appropriate for any occasion, least of all watching three very impressionable little girls. She always has tight low cut tops and extremely short shorts.

When my girls and I go shopping in Green Bay or Appleton at a mall, I am appalled by some of the clothing that they have for sale for my girls’ ages (7, 9 and 10). I don’t understand why there is such a rush to make little girls into adults. While walking around the mall, I see way too many examples of girls wearing skimpy clothing. I mean seriously, who would let their 12 or 13 year old daughter go out with a third of their backside exposed?

Signed,

Keep Them Their Age

Sturgeon Bay, WI

Dear Keep Them Their Age,

I could not agree more. The exposed derriere on a 12 year old is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of apart from a parent letting them leave the house like that. I don’t understand this myself. I have nieces who are under the age of five and wonder what kind of clothing will be around for them in 10 years. Maybe the teeny tiny clothing trend won’t be in demand anymore and the styles will revert to something more age appropriate.

This comes down to parenting and what parents decide is acceptable for their children to wear. Some of them maybe aren’t paying attention or worse yet, are paying attention and don’t see anything wrong with it.

Good luck,

Mary Pat