Bieber Birthdays? Really?

Today I'm going to write about something that I find apalling.
I'm going to make generalizations and assumptions and use the word "you." All of which my writing professor Martha would find apalling and she surely would have a red pen all over what I'm about to write.
But this is my blog, and I can write what I want to.
And I'm a mommy, and sometimes I find other mothers apalling.

Last Summer, I went to the opening night of one of the Twilight movies with some other adult friends.  It was late, maybe 11 p.m.  In the theatre was a woman who had a little daughter who could not have been older than 3.  Now, you might be as shocked as I was at first that a three year old was even awake at 11, or that she was out of the house at 11 p.m.  But the real shockeroo came when said woman bought two tickets for Twilight.  A vampire movie. For a 3 year old.

This precious little sprite followed the woman who gave birth to her (notice I do not call her "mom"), into the theatre.  Where much to the annoyance of the other movie goers and and my heart, proceeded to cry that she was scared, that she was tired and that she wanted to go home to her bed. And the woman's response? "Watch the movie and shutup or I'm going to take you out and spank you."

Yesterday,  my little girl came home with a Justin Bieber birthday invitation.  She's 7 years old.  It makes me angry that teenage boys are being marketed to little girls.  It makes me angry that they are being encouraged to think about, follow, obsess over, and have teenage, boy, themed birthday parties.  How is this remotely acceptable?  Its not innocent fun, and its not cute.

I overheard a mother quizzing her 3rd grade son on which girls in his class were cute, if he has a girlfriend, or even a little crush.  He was totally apalled at the very idea, but the manner and words that she used gave nothing other than the impression that there was something wrong with him because he didn't have a crush.  She then proceeded to point out some possible prospects to him.  So help me if she had pointed at my daughter I would have walked straight over to her and punched her in the face.

Adults wonder (told you I was going to generalize) why little girls are maturing so quickly?  Why they are boy crazy at younger and younger ages?  Why are they letting junior high boys convince them that oral sex at school is a good idea?  Why are they having sex as Freshman in highschool? 

Perhaps, it is because parents think it is ok for 5,6, and 7 year old little girls to have crushes on teenage pop stars.

Perhaps we should let our little girls, be little girls.  And play with dolls, look for fairies, live in a Strawberry Shortcake fantasy.... instead of wearing a Team Edward or Team Jacob shirt, or throwing them Bieber Birthdays.

Am I the only one upset by this?

I write about a lot of things. God, love, my kids' silly antics, adoption advocacy and overseas missions... and when I've got nothing else, I laugh at myself (like when meeting The Pioneer Woman).   I don't often build a soap box and stand on it.  But once in a while, I choose to take a stand.  Today was that day.