MARGO Grimshaw in her 'Days of innocence' (LET, August 27) writes that she doesn't know who decided when it was time for you to buy your whip and top, etc.

The shopkeepers made sure we knew when it was time to buy things, by tempting us with a variety of the latest games in their windows.

Today, parents have to be careful where they let their children play as our streets are no longer safe. because of this, many of the old street games are becoming forgotten and Margo is right about young girls being "encouraged to dress and act in a very provocative way at an early age and quite a lot of them are deliberately sexy."

All this is true and Some magazines bear the responsibility for making young girls more aware of being attractive to the opposite sex. They are transported from infants to adults without an intervening childhood, as can be witnessed by their hysterical screaming at every physical movement of young lads performing at pop concerts.

As Margo says, they are being robbed of innocent childhood and I would add the only people that stand to gain from this are those selling girly magazines, cosmetics and children's clothes -- and paedophiles.

ALBERT MORRIS, Nelson.