Little Ladies vs. Jail Bait

When I became a mom, gone were the days of acting on impulse and impromptu shopping trips. Now, even for a trip to the grocery store, I've got to dress three people. Thank goodness because it used to be four with Liv. Sometimes I think it's not worth the hassle and consider ordering everything online from deoderant to bread.

Today, after (once again) not being able to find anything I was looking for that the girls could wear to town and NOT embarrass me, I vowed to buy them both enough nice outfits to last a week without doing laundry. I was ready to melt that bank card if it came down to it. As is always the case, you either have the means but can't find a thing, or you see endless possibilities and have a very limited pocketbook.

I dragged the girls through JCPenney, Kohls, Belk, Dillards, and finally Old Navy.
I should have returned home with a steamer trunk full of precious things for them, but never have I been so disappointed. Who is in charge of buying for these stores?!
I expect to see tacky crap at Walmart, but the department stores? I had my heart set on some adorable seersucker capri sets. Inventor of Seersucker, oh how I put you on a pedistal! You rescue me from that menial task of ironing, and let me fish things out of the dryer and sling them directly on my kids! Where was your genius today?

All my eyes could see store after store were these tacky, cheap, short, jail-bait looking clothes...for preschoolers! Just take a stroll through the little girls department next time you're out. Everything has glitter. No. Everything has something metallic plastered across the front. NO! Who is designing this stuff? They obviously don't have female offspring--can't have. Did anybody do market research for this customer base? "Hello, ma'am...tell me, what are you looking for when you dress your toddler?" (insert Walmart dialect here) "Waell, I like those slip on tattoo sleeves (BTW, I actually saw these in Walmart!) lots of black, metallic, attached chains, and some lace to make it fru-fru like that Hanner Montaner."

Today, I almost took a picture of a t-shirt that said "I ♥ WOLVES". Huh?? Other t-shirts I saw that will never be seen on my daughters: "Juicy", "Naughty but mostly nice", "I'm Purrrr-fect", "Rock It", something about "I've got happiness growing in my garden", and other suggestive slogans. Seriously? That's so stupid. I'm knocking myself out trying to raise little ladies and everything out there is trying to mold them into potential jail bait. I never wore shorts that looked like panties, and my daughters won't either. A three year old doesn't need to work a mini skirt, either.

I did find a couple of really cute things at Belk today, but since it was an early stop on my list, I scoffed at paying the still-high sale price. I guess the laugh is on me because it was the classiest thing I saw all day.

So, I guess I could have taken the easy route and come back with a few bare-back ensembles, but I passed. No new spring attire, however, my solace is rooted in the hope that they will never have a mugshot.

DPG