Is it difficult to find road bikes in department stores these days? When my daughter gets to be that age, I know that's the route I'm going to pursue. Maybe when she gets into high school she can pick something out from the LBS, but until I know whether a) she'll enjoy cycling and b) whether she'll take care of her equipment (see "curb jumping" above), then I think we'll stick to the stores that end in "-mart".
Jeez, I'm sounding a lot like my Dad...