Colored Rubber Bracelets (long)

[Kendra17]

Many of you must have heard about those plastic or rubber colored bracelets (kind of like hair elastics) that some girls wear. Each color represents some sexual meaning (UGH!). . .for instance, white is hug, purple is kiss, black is sex, and some of the other colors mean oral sex or even lap dance.

Anyways, my now 12 yr old dd used to wear these bracelets where we used to live. There, there was NO meaning attached to them, even though I had heard that in some places there were. i was fine that she wore them once in a while, because they meant nothing at her school.

So, we've moved, and she was wearing the purple ones to school. I had picked her up that day, and she gave me this list of all the meaning s and said, "Mom, these bracelets mean this!". The list was risque, to say the least. . .but, she told me they only meant something if the girl GAVE one to the boy, or if the boy grabbed one off the girl.

I saw that she wore the purple ones once in a while, and didn't like it, but didn't really say anything because they were only purple and because she had worn them for several years.

Today, though, we went into the mall. She went into Claire's while I was out with the baby. When she came out, she proudly showed me the pink and black bracelets she bought!

Well, that changed everything becasue, the black ones mean sex. I don't know what the pink ones mean, she didn't say, but I'm assuming it's something more than a kiss.

I talked to my husband, and we decided we'd forbid her to wear the bracelets. She was so upset, she CRIED! ANd, we tried to explain to her that she doesn't need to wear jewelry that is symbolic of sex. We explained that her school wouldn't allow tshirts that said sexual words, and we won't allow her to wear bracelets like this, either.

I told her we'd go back to Claire's tomorrow and exchange them. But, I took her purple and white bracelets away and she cannot wear any of these types of bracelets anymore.

Lastly, she has tons of jewelry. . .beads, bangles, charm bracelets. . . it is just these I'm forbidding. . .

SO, your opinion, please??? Thank you!!!!!

 

[preb]

My 5 year old wears those all of the time! She got them at Claires, also!

I had no idea...

 

[cobbler]

Its always something. I remember when I was a kid it was the tabs off pop/soda cans that meant stuff.

I don't think I would like my daughter wearing them for that purpose.

Crazy what kids come up with!

 

[Kendra17]

Originally posted by preb
My 5 year old wears those all of the time! She got them at Claires, also!

I had no idea...

Yeah, isn't it horrid?

http://www.educationcoffeehouse.com/novnews.htm

They didn't mean anything when my daughter was five, either. . .but gee, they do now!

 

[binny]

UGH Ive heard this too unfortunately. I know in some places they dont mean anything but my scuzzy neighbour ( the adult) lets his teenager proudly sport them ( and brag about them ) while hanging all over his girlfriend so Im going on the thought that they know what it means. ( youd have to see this picture to understand it)


I dont think I would want my kid wearing them either to be honest with you. Even if it doesnt mean anything to her it does to other kids and the suggetsion is there. I think youre right on with the clothes analogy as well. Kind of like wearing gang colours. a red or blue bandana didnt used to mean anything to anyone either. Now I think most people know what they mean.

Good luck. Parenting is tough stuff isnt it?

 

[tiggersmom2]

I think you did the right thing! My son is *10*yrs. old - he came home from school with some of these bracelets (black and red ones) and I immediately confiscated them. My neighbor friends had said something about them and I vaguely remember them being about sex or promised sex


I remember wearing them as a preteen when Madonna was popular, just as a fashion statement! My how times have changed!

 

[katerkat]

Oooooh! A kid at work wears a couple and I've always wondered if they're back in fashion. I guess so, with a bit more meaning than when we wore them!

Remembering some of his colors and reading the link!

No way I'd let my kids wear them.

 

[AZKathy]

I won't let my DDs wear those bracelets because of the sex significance they mean. No way no how. I even tell them they are not nice and I won't let them wear them; there are so many other things out there that they can wear instead!

 

[Aurora63]

I think you did the right thing. I wouldn't let my kids wear them either, if I had any.

I remember the soda tab thing too!

 

[binny]

OMGOSH Kendra that site was just plain scary. Im sending my girls to a convent in the morning!

Anyone know of any good monasteries around?

 

[bsnyder]

I think you did the right thing, Kendra. But I'm curious...she has told you she knows what the meaning of the different colors are, right? Did she say why she still wants to wear them anyway?

 

[eeyore kelly]

I think you did the right thing. I wouldn't let my daughter wear them!

 

[Kendra17]

Originally posted by bsnyder
I think you did the right thing, Kendra. But I'm curious...she has told you she knows what the meaning of the different colors are, right? Did she say why she still wants to wear them anyway?

DD still doesn't go out unsupervised. She may consider the bracelets flirtation--not understanding what it really means, or how she's portraying herself.

Yes, I'm very bothered that she still wanted to wear them. Really, though, she's still a kid. She doesn't go out unsupervised except to play outside with friends. . . unless there's a bar mitzvah or something, the most she does is sleep over a girlfriend's house on the weekend. There's nothing going on except inappropriate flirtation. I don't think she understood that wearing such things could mean MORE than this.

Do you have any other ideas you would care to share? I'd really appreciate knowing if you believe this or not.

Interesting, though. . .as much as she didn't want to give them up, she's come downstairs twice now to give me 3 others that she found.

 

[bsnyder]

I'd key in on the "how she is portraying herself" thing. Because it's doubtful that she does understand the "bigger" issue involved here.

It's really very much like the clothing issues that a lot of parents with daughters of pre-teens/teens have to deal with. Certain things become a fad, and for a lot of kids it's important to go with the fad. Most of the time they are oblivious to any of the additional implications. Like the impressions that we make on others by how we present ourselves.

My daughter's 10 and a half, and I am sure these days are coming, for me too.

 

[Serena]

I haven't seen any of those bracelets here, thank goodness.

 

[debster812]

Hopefully--this may make some of you feel a bit better.

Here is the link from Snopes about these:

http://www.snopes.com/risque/school/bracelet.asp

 

[Jenn Lynn]

OMG! Who comes up with this stuff?

I think you did the right thing.

 

[MosMom]

I would tell her that if she likes them, she can wear them at home with you. They just are not appropriate at school. That way you aren't coming down too hard and still letting her wear them sometimes. She probably just thinks they are pretty. My daughter (7) has some and just likes them as pretty jewelry.

 

[binny]

the sad thing is though, no matter what Snopes or anyone else says about them, if the kids believe it and play the game, thats all that matters.

 

[gr8tpanther]

I knew there had to be a reason, other than they are ugly, that I didn't like them!!!!