Younger girls should have sturdy dolls and today's dolls do all sorts of things like wet themselves and eat and stuff. For older girls, the terrible role model Barbie doll is still as popular as when it came out in the '50s. Unfortunately, if Barbie were a real person, her proportions would render her handicapped. Her waist is too small and her feet are too small. Nowadays though, you may be able to find a more normally proportioned Barbie doll and even ethnic Barbies that are not all blonde and blue-eyed. Barbie is even shown with an assortment of good jobs.

There is a trend nowadays for young girls to dress like their idols, pop stars such as Britney Spears. It's appalling to see the number of very young girls that are wearing belly-baring tops and make-up. Children should dress like children. There is so much on the market and parents should lead by example and encourage their children to dress appropriately.

Girls should be allowed to play with any sorts of toys they like, not just dolls and kitchenware. Times have changed and girls need to be instilled with lots of self-esteem to take on the challenges of the world. If girls are old enough to read, gifts of books are particularly good. Girls should have many strong women role models and know that they can talk to their parents about anything. At the appropriate age, they should be well educated about their bodies and about sex.