The Dollar Tree Gets Sexy?

Recently the kids and I went to the Dollar Tree to grab a few items for an upcoming school project. As we were headed to the checkout, I noticed an item hanging on the carousel by the register and  hoped it didn't catch the eye of my seven and eight year old kids.  Ignoring the item, I walked by trying to engage in conversation to distract children's curious eyes. While I was talking with my son, my daughter calls my name and points to the dreaded item. "It says push here to deflate," she said quite giggly.

Of course this led my son to look. Then he burst out into an embarrassed laughter as he saw a women in a low cut push-up bra pictured on the front of this product simply named 'Pump it Up'. I too laughed because of the giggly little voice of my daughter finding humor in the fact that whatever this thing was it had an inflate and deflate button. On the inside however, my heart broke because yet another piece of innocence was gone.  As we drove home, we talked about their thoughts.  My daughter maturely stated that the product would not have been as inappropriate had it been in a store for ladies or had a different (more modest) picture on the box. My son still embarrassed didn't have much to offer except it was inappropriate and didn't make sense. As a mother, I listened but know there is still a conversation to be had. I want my children to know that a woman's breast serve the functional purpose of feeding her babies. I want my daughter to know her value is not found in her appearance. If she ever feels the need to enhance a body part to get a guy to notice her then he doesn't deserve her.  I want my son to know that there is more to a lady than the outer appearance, and modest is beautiful regardless of what media displays. I want him to understand purity starts in the heart and mind and  images of immodestly dressed ladies can damage that purity and set him on a dangerous path. Being that my children are young, these messages will be simplified, but they must be spoken because if not my kids will become shaped by the world's message of sex and body image which isn't a message that I am ok with.

Shante