Men's Group

After all, many healthy messages of affirmation for beauty, kindness, intellect, etc. should be given to all children.

But something else is wrong, and I see it as overall excessive permissiveness and parents trying to be 'friends' with their children as opposed to actually being adults modeling good boundaries for their children. Giving positive messages is only one part of the equation. Saying no is the other which seems to be sorely missing today.

Little boys and little girls have been told various culturally specific gender messages for decades. Why now are five year old's dieting? What parent is allowing such behavior? Why now are 17 year old's getting more and more breast augmentation surgeries? What parent is allowing this to occur? Why have older adults allowed the message to be sent to all, not just young women, that wrinkles are 'bad' and that botox is A-OK?

These are choices that adults are making beyond telling their daughter that she looks cute in her pink church dress or their son that he looks adorable in his Spiderman footie pajamas.