I'm about to bring this back as it's more true than ever that little girls are dressing skanky. I think it is due to how much emphasis the media places on how you look. With things now like Club Libby Lu and even stores they had back in my childhood like Limited Too, it's just encouraging little girls to dress like they're older than they really are.

It's okay to get dressed up in Mommy's heels and pearls and dresses once in a while, but why a mini and a halter top showing your stomach? That's like calling out to pedophiles and saying "Molest me! Molest me!"

Someone please tell me why a 9 year old needs a cell phone? This is a trend I'm seeing more and more with some of the kids I used to babysit. They all have phones now! I got my phone at 15, and even then it was just a prepaid. I got my first -real- cell phone when I got my car and could drive.

Why are parents dropping their 10-14 year old kids off at the movies on friday night and then coming back to pick them up later? Why are they dropping their 14 year olds off at the mall and coming back to get them later?

Kids are trying to grow up too quickly. I was raised in a very relaxed home. My parents instilled in me trust and responsibility. I was more afraid of losing their trust because I didn't get spanked very often. I could only sit in my room and read if I disobeyed them. No TV, no friends, no video games, no toys... just books. That's what happened when I was grounded. I think I was a really good kid, I didn't get into trouble and my mom didn't let me dress like a little skank. I dressed my age. I wnet through my ugly phase like most kids do around 6th grade and then I got cuter and started dressing cuter, but still nothing provocative.

I've been playing with make up since I was little, but I was never allowed to wear it out of the house. When I was 10 I could put on make up better than my mom. But It came off of my face before I walked out of the house. I played dress up and with barbies when I was little.

I plan on spanking my kids when I have them, but only as a last resort. If corner time or talking to them doesn't work, then spanking it is. I want to raise my kids like my parents did me. They both worked long days and still had plenty of time to spend with me. The one fault I give them is that they didn' police my internet activities enough once I figured out how to hide where I was going and stuff. But there weren't really sites like myspace and livejournal and xanga when I was 12.

Hell, I'm stil a good kid. I don't sleep around, get drunk at parties or do drugs. I get drunk with friends, smoke an occasional cigarette and I never drink and drive. My parents will buy me booze as long as I don't drink and drive. If I drink one smirnoff, I'm not allowed to drive for atleast an hour or two. Those don't even get me buzzed, but I completely understand their concern.

Bottom line, parents need to take an active role in their childrens lives and encourage them to be kids and not little adults.