Dear Amy >> I had a 42-year career as a speech-language pathologist, working with young children.

Early childhood development was my professional specialty.

I made sure to provide my own children with play-based preschool opportunities. As they grew and showed interest in certain activities, we provided those opportunities for them in art, music, and sports.

Both children are now successful professionals.

Our son and his wife are the parents of two children, ages three and one.

They let us know early on that they would accept NO input or support, even when they shared their struggles and challenges.

Not even a book suggestion was welcome.

I have respected their wishes, and I respond to texts, e-mails, and rare phone calls with generic positive statements like, “Thanks for sharing that photo!” “It looks like he’s doing great!”

Now, our daughter-in-law is sending photos and videos of our 3-year-old granddaughter in a pee-wee “cheer” program.

She is on a “performance team,” complete with uniforms with short-shorts and bare midriffs.

For the competitions, she has to wear full-face makeup, including bright red lipstick.

Her parents haven’t enrolled her in a regular preschool yet, but they apparently are fine with this environment.

I have not responded to the most recent “cheer” photos and am not sure how to approach my son and his wife about my concerns.

I am sick to my stomach that this child is not receiving typical child-focused, play-based learning opportunities — and worse — that she has been put into a program that appears to me to be sexualizing young girls, to their future detriment.

I feel I must speak up and advocate for this child by trying to protect her childhood. How should I do this?

— Horrified Gran

Dear Horrified >> You may speak up for this child by using your voice, or your pen, or your opposable thumbs.

When you do — you should prepare yourself for the likelihood that these parents will react badly, cut you off, and continue exercising their judgment without regard for your views.

I happen to share your opinion, as well as your concerns, regarding toddler “cheer” squads, “beauty” pageants, and the like. But these parents have the right to be flawed — or terrible — parents. They may continue making unenlightened choices throughout.

They obviously have (extremely) different values than you do, and they are demonstrating their values through their parenting choices.

You can definitely try to “protect” your granddaughter’s childhood, but the best way to do that is to maintain a relationship with the child that is kind, accepting, and healthy.