Oh My!

Check this out:

Sweet & Sassy Girls Salon, Spa and Party Concept Taking Off
Southlake, TX-based Sweet & Sassy opened its first store in the upscale Southlake Town Square in Southlake, TX, in 2004. The concept targets girls, age 5 to 11, with salon and spa services, themed parties, and a store offering tween accessories. The company sold its first franchise in August 2005 and has since grown to 33 stores in 18 states. It has at least 80 stores in its franchise pipeline.

The average Sweet & Sassy store is 3,000 square feet including a Snip-Snap Station, Glam Central, Pampered Place, and Sweet & Sassy Shoppe. The concept works best in malls and lifestyle centers in high-income areas.

This news blurb is disturbing on many levels:
1. Just the concept of the salon, trying to turn elementary school girls into tiny adults with make-up and hair styling and accessorizing and who knows what else, confirms the trend of an increasing number of parents who seem to treat their kids more like pets than people.
2. The fact that the chain has grown to 33 stores in 3 years further bears out this trend.
3. Did we not learn anything from Jon-Benet?

Can we just support our kids and let them grow up on their own?