Moms: Please Don't Do This.

[Ilsa]

90. The problem is that there are strangers

who might not distinguish between whether that 12 year old girl is really 12 or 15 or 18. As a parent, I know I wouldn't want my kids to "stick out" for unwarranted attention. This is a preference and value I hold.

If I see kids under-dressed, I might also wonder if the parents are paying attention to other behaviors, too. Does the child get their way all the time? Is this someone I want to be next to on a 2 hour flight?

The fact is, there are different sets of values and mores at work here. For example, an expectation that public transportation is a more formal event than riding in Daddy's pickup. Being dressed for travel might result in more formal behavior than when a child is dressed for playing in a sandbox. Hence, better social behavior for the duration of the flight. I probably wouldn't want to be near them either, but it's not just about "sexualization," but being around someone with different values.