Why you won't catch my toddler in a itsy bitsy teeny-weeny yellow polka dot bikini

Baby bellies are adorable.

And they stay adorable for a good, long while.  Amber Nora is still sporting a precious little pot belly.  While most of her has grown long and lean, her belly is still ever-so-slightly slightly round and soft. I love to blow raspberries on that noshable little belly, and I don't think it's anything to hide.

There are several pictures on Facebook of Amber Nora in just a diaper. Amber Nora in the tub. Amber Nora draped in 7 necklaces and little else. Heck, my last blog post showed her sporting only a skirt and ladybug wings. I don't see anything sexual or uncomfortable about that, and I believe most people would feel the same.

So why do my husband and I choose to skip the bikini aisle? What's the difference? In fact, doesn't the two-piece cover more?

Yup, and for me, that's kind of the problem.

When you add that bikini top, especially the kind with those two barely-there triangles, it insinuates that there is something alluring to cover.  Something that shouldn't be shown, but still deserves to be decorated with pretty patterns and have attention placed on it.

And while I'm certainly not offended when I see a toddler in a bikini, I wonder why it's necessary to draw a girl's attention to her body in that way at such a young age. I'm not saying that it will be a big hoorah...she won't all of sudden wish to be more developed or put much thought into it in general...but she will, ever so slightly, be a bit more aware of her body.  She will notice that the little boys at the pool don't have to wear a shirt, but she has to be covered up.  She will notice.  And there will be plenty of time to worry about that in 10-12 years, followed by the rest.of.her.life.

Let's be clear. I'm not a prude. Quite the opposite, actually. Would I let my two-year-old wear nothing but a swim diaper at the beach? Sure! Heck, whip that diaper off in the ocean and feel the salt water between your cheeks. Learn about the world around you! This is not an issue of modesty.

But by emphasizing things that don't even exist yet, I think we are starting the tumbleweed of female sexualization and body image issues at far too young of an age.

 I hope to raise a girl who one day sits in the middle of Starbucks, breast feeding my grandbaby while eating a chocolate croissant. I hope to raise a girl who values the power of her body, not for what it can do for other people, but for what it can do for her. I want to raise a girl who's comfortable in her own skin, and doesn't feel the need to expose said skin to feel beautiful or worthy. And when the
occasion calls for it, and she does expose that skin, I hope she is confident enough to freakin' rock it.

That is all.