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Things To Consider Today By Leland Pulley

Clothing And Hair Styles For Girls And Boys

As you read this article, think about the time when you were growing up and compare it to today. If you’re a parent, think also about what your parents did for you as a child or youth and compare this to raising your kids today.

When I grew up, so many things were simpler than they seem to be today. A good example of this is clothing and hair styles for young people.

When I went to school, boys and girls dressed differently. The girls had to wear a skirt and top, or a dress to school. The boys had their typical pants and shirts. It was obvious who was who or who belonged to which sex. The unisex movement had not made its grand entry into my society yet. In contrast, a lot of clothing worn by girls today looks like that worn by boys.

One thing that was obvious in my younger years was neatness. You wore clothes that fit you. They were to be clean and neat in appearance on you. I never thought much about this stuff while growing up because I took it for granted. Neatness is not so obvious today. Many kids wear sloppy and baggy clothing, or faded clothing, or partially torn clothing. Some of it is bought this way new, in order to have such a look. It’s a type of style.

Another thing I experienced was modesty. Students generally kept their bodies covered better than they do now. Styles did not stress the sexy look then as much as they do today. A good example is swimming suits, which were more modest or covered more of the body for girls. Even things like underwear covered more of the body than the skimpy stuff girls buy today. One popular and immodest style today is girls wearing short tops that do not touch the top of their pants so part of their waist area is showing. When they bend over more exposure occurs. This is a way to attract male attention to your body, but not so much to you as a person. This is the last thing young men need to see. Immodest dress contributes to immoral thoughts.

Along with clothing were differences in hair styles. Girls had longer hair and more traditional styles. Their hairstyles were not like the real short, masculine type of hair styles that some females have today. When you see such females today from a distance, you can’t tell by the hairstyle whether it’s a man or woman. Likewise, boys then all had shorter hair. Today some boys have longer hair. Another difference is hair color. Everyone usually accepted their natural color of hair while growing up. Today younger people are dying their hair at younger ages, as well as using more than one color of hair at a time.

Consider things like tennis shoes or sneakers. They used to be worn at gym class, which all schools offered to both boys and girls. They were also worn while playing sports. They were not used as much for casual wear. There were few types or styles available. Today, so many types of these shoes are offered, and some for specific types of activities. A young person today wears these shoes more places and many more hours per week.

In my day baseball hats were worn primarily to play baseball. Sometimes you would wear them while out in the sun to protect your forehead from sunburn. The front of the cap was always facing forward over the forehead. Girls did not wear these hats very much. Now days, this cap is worn in several positions. It is worn more by both sexes. There are more types of hats, with more emblems for favorite teams or logos or company brands on the hat. It is worn in the home and at public places like restaurants and movie theaters.

Some aspects of dress have become less formal. Many young people use to have special clothes for attending church or for more formal occasions. With time informal dress standards have become more popular at school, at work, at church, etc. You can attend some churches today and see young people in shorts and sneakers. That was not the case in my day.

I could go on about my younger years and let you compare this to your younger years, or to today when you’re raising kids. It’s obvious there have been many changes in fashion and styles for boys and girls over the years. Your challenge as an individual, and as a parent, is to take the best styles and utilize them the best way you can. Here are some suggestions for doing this.

• Be an example and select suitable clothing and hair styles for yourself.
• Help your kids select styles for themselves that look good on them. Not all styles look good on everyone. It depends on age, sex, body build, etc. Encourage modesty in dress. You should have more influence on the styles your kids end up with than anyone else, including all the advertisements enticing them to try this or that.
• In most cases you should have the final say on styles if there are disagreements, not your child or youth. This is especially true when it’s your money being spent.
• Know your financial limitations and live within them. A clothing budget would be good to have. Don’t spend more than you can afford. Don’t charge a big bill for these items. Utilize sales. Buy what you really need first, and then what you want. There is a difference.
• Spread your shopping out over a period of time. Styles change. Your kids change too. What they want today may not be what they want a few months from now or next year. This also gives your budget a chance to get some more funds for purchases.
• If you kid is growing fast at this period in his life, try to buy cheaper clothing because he will wear it a shorter period of time. The exception to this is if you can pass down his clothing to a younger sibling.
• Don’t be too proud to buy used clothing, not only for preschoolers, but for older kids. Some of it is in good condition and still in style too.
• If your school district asks about school uniforms for students, say yes. It would eliminate the competition or dress parade among students, as well as save money on school clothes. Students would actually focus more on academic work while at school. They could still have plenty of variety in the clothes they wear outside of school.

As you strive to meet the needs in your family, remember to use some common sense. Keep up with styles so you have a good idea of what is available. Decide what you like and don’t like. Discuss styles with your kids so they can express their opinions and desires. Reach a compromise, especially as kids get older. Spend within your budget. Don’t spend too much on one child and not a fair share on another child. As you select styles, teach things like modesty and neatness, which should affect decisions made relative to styles. Also, discourage unisex thinking by stressing the masculine and feminine role for each child via the styles selected for his or her clothing and hair. With your consistent efforts today, your children will learn to be selective for themselves and grow up with the ability to choose the best styles for themselves and their kids.

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