It’s 2012. It’s the year the world will end (as per the Mayan calendar), the year we really get serious about bringing home our troops and the year we will select a new President. At first glance, it seems like 2012 is fast becoming a year that will prove to be unforgettable on many levels.

Liposuction as investment for a 7-year-old is not one I thought would ever top the list of forget-me-nots, but I stand corrected.

We live in a world that perpetually bombard our princesses (and princes) with destructive messages that corrupt the eros of the soul–that eat through the joys and wonders of being a kid. As I kid, I remember high-water pants, freckles, kinky-hair, glasses, chubby-faces, belly laughs, missing teeth, noses that spit milk, Now-Laters, pinky promises, climbing trees in skirts, doing cartwheels in the grass, hand-ball in the park, chemistry sets, secret diaries and first crushes.

Childhood is meant to be a time of exploration and discovery. See that photo? That’s what kids do! It’s the time our children begin to uncover who they are and begin a life-long journey of celebration and acceptance. It’s the time they begin to come into their own. Why on earth would any parent want to rob their child of such a pivotal and important time?

Why on earth would any parent purchase a liposuction voucher for her 7-year-old daughter as a Christmas gift saying, “She asks for surgery all the time. She wants to look good and lipo is one of those procedures that will always come in handy. I see these vouchers as investing in her future — like saving money for her education.”

According to Mommyish, this is the same woman who promised her daughter a boob job for her seventh birthday. Yes, you did read that right. A boob job at 7!

As a parent, I intentionally refrain from using the words parenting and fail in the same sentence. In this instance, however, there are no other words to describe this parent’s actions.

With parent fails like these is it any wonder that  7 in 10 young girls feel they’re not good enough or  like they don’t measure up to standards about looks and image?

As a parent, I shake my head in disgust. As a mother, my heart breaks not just for the 7-year-old girl but also for her mother. Anyone who proudly acknowledges herself as “The Human Barbie” because of her love of plastic surgery is obviously looking for acceptance and love. It is my hope that she and her daughter find it.