Grow Slow

Clothes Should Promote Playing on Monkey Bars, Not Monkey Business

Alarming clothing styles have been introduced in recent years by pop culture icons – resulting in baggy, saggy pants for little boys and thongs and hip huggers for girls as young as 6. With such fashions come adult attitudes and, experts warn, adult behaviors.

Healthtex®, a leading designer and manufacturer of children's clothing, is working to take back childhood. The company's new "grow slow" campaign provides parents with shopping tips, clothing trends and activity ideas that will help families explore and encourage childhood play.

"Childhood is fleeting," says David Scott Grubbs, Healthtex brand manager. "Fashion doesn't mean bare shoulders and visible underwear. Clothes can be hip and stylish, and still cover."

Nowhere is inappropriate fashion more evident than in schools – which is why nearly 20 percent of the nation's elementary schools have opted for uniforms, according to a National Association of Elementary School Principals survey. Many other school districts have adopted dress codes. It's a way of combating students' tendency to look like "mini-adults," says Sandra Grimmett, a teacher at Lansdowne Elementary School in Charlotte, N.C.

"Parents think they are dressing their children to look cute," Grimmett says. "We see elementary students that look like starlets, complete with jewelry, makeup and cell phones."

Raleigh, N.C., resident Tina Mancini doesn't let her 9-year-old son watch MTV at home, but he still sees revealing outfits – on his fourth-grade classmates. "I know he's going to be a big boy one day and I'm getting prepared for that," she says. "But for now I want him to live, play and dress like a child."

Parents can celebrate their children's individuality without compromising their sense of style, say National PTA officials. "Parents play a key role in helping to develop a child's positive self-image," says National PTA President Anna Weselak. "We can try and understand our children's point of view while helping guide them to fashions that make them feel confident and comfortable – and are appropriate for the classroom."

Want to see more?

• Back to School Headquarters
• Growing Up Too Fast: Helping Your Preteen Transition From Child to Adult
• Jump Starting the School Year
• Talk about it!