Growing up too fast??

I watch GMA sometimes in the morning while waiting for Olivia’s mom to show up.  The past few mornings they have talked about things that have my mind going crazy with a question they asked:

Are kids growing up too fast?

Abercrombie and Fitch has a padded bikini for girls as young as 6/7.  I am not even pulling out my soap box on this one!!!  SERIOUSLY??  What are they trying to teach these little girls about self image??  At such a YOUNG AGE!!! I wasn’t a big fan of A&F, but they are definitely on my No-Go list now…

There is also a baby doll that comes with a bra for the little girls to wear, the baby interacts with the bra to make sucking sounds to simulate breast feeding.

I am ALL for breast feeding. I know that breastfeeding is the best way to boost a child’s immune system, give them all the nutrients they need to grow.  It is the perfect food for newborns and infants. I support my mommy friends in whatever way they choose to feed their babies.  I know that some women do not produce milk on their own so they use formula, some women breast feed until their child is close to 5, and some go straight to formula for whatever reason they have.  I am fine with any of it.  I choose to breast feed Lily as long as I could (Well, I wanted to until she was close to 1), it wasn’t as long as I wanted, but I did what I was able to do.

So back to this doll-  I have mixed feelings about it. I’m not really sure how I feel about this doll. While I support breastfeeding, do I want my daughter to have a doll specifically made to do that?  Some viewers of GMA made these points---That by giving this doll to young girls it was in a way training these girls to have children at a young age.

Others said it was natural for the girls to do something like this with regular dolls especially if they have seen their moms breastfeeding. They say there are dolls that eat and poop, sleep, crawl and cry.  Why not a doll that does something natural like breast feeding?

I occasionally let Lily wear lip gloss. When she and her Daddy went on the Daddy Daughter date back in Feb. I let her wear a little lip gloss and some pale shimmery pink eye shadow.  I don’t let her wear this often and don’t plan to let her wear regular make up until she is in her teens.  I think that the length (or lack of) of shorts for girls is ridiculous!  When I can see the hem of panties showing from the hem of the shorts I think it is time to either do some sewing or do some shopping!!  

I don’t want Lily to be 15 at the age of 5.  I want her to be a child.   I want her to enjoy her childhood, to keep the sweet innocence that only children have.  I want her to stay 4 forever if you really want the truth, lol, but while that will not happen, I do want her to stay young as long as possible.

So- again back to the doll-  I’m just not sure… Do I like it? I like that it is showing and encouraging a good thing, I like that it is a natural, God-given part of mother hood. If Lily were to breast feed one of her other baby dolls I wouldn’t stop her…  But am I ready for Lily to have a doll like this?   I really don’t know.  She has only seen one person breast feeding and she really didn’t care about it then.  If the topic ever came up I would tell her that God made a woman’s breast special to provide food for a baby.  But do I want her having the doll? I don’t want her to have the doll that cries or poops- noise and mess?? hmmm…

I have attached the link if you want to read about it …What do you think?? 

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/breast-feeding-doll-parents-controversy/story?id=13248646