07.MAY.10

Editor: While caught in the usual Friday afternoon traffic jam in Kingstown, I sat in my car and observed our leaders of tomorrow and compared them with our leaders of yesterday, and my, what a fierce and repugnant change.{{more}}

I scrutinized, in total confusion, two young ladies, approximately 14 years old, who were dressed identically, as though twinned. Their outfit consisted of strapped sandals, long white skin-tight leggings that left nothing to the imagination and red baby tees that read “Beware of this B****!” (I censored the word out of respect for our readers). Now tell me, what could possibly possess these young girls into wearing such a label? How is society expected to relate to these girls? Clearly, they are selling themselves short. Our streets are slowly becoming a catwalk of provocation. I had to ask, where are the mothers, and fathers alike, when these indecent, raunchy and immorally suggestive pieces of garments are bought? Where are they when these children leave home? Where are they when these outfits are laundered and hung to dry? Have parents handed over their God given duty of PARENTING to the computers, the televisions sets or the mobile phones? Parenting takes time, and it’s sad when we cannot be bothered to do it and pass this kind of behaviour off by convincing ourselves that ‘it’s a phase’. We must remember the problems that this type of dressing may cause. They expose themselves to rumour mongering, rape, date rape and assumed sexual permission.

Definite intervention is needed and fast. We need to quit being our daughter’s ‘pal’ and say the old-fashioned NO! When I was a teen, before I could spend my parents hard earned money on any type of clothing, I was accompanied to the store by either parent for approval of the outfit before its purchase. We really need to go back to those days.

Go to her room and ‘clean out the closet’. Positive reinforcement always gets the message across.

Lisa James