Reading this week's book excerpt "So Sexy So Soon" I felt anger at our society and the way commercialism and consumerism is at the centre of it. I felt sadness to think of the children who are not allowed to be children, who are pushed to grow up so fast. And I felt worried that this problem could get worse before it gets better.
The first example that popped into my head when I started reading about this topic was from years ago when I worked in a daycare centre. One of the children who was in the after school program started "humping" the floor. This was his word for what he was doing. He was about 6 years old and wanted the attention he would get by shocking the adults at the centre. A second example is the adult looking 'sexy' clothes that some kids where. Why should a 5 year old be wearing shoes with heels? They are not good for her developing body nor are they needed to complete an outfit. A girl in my school a few years ago was wearing shoes to school that had at least 3 cm heels. She wobbled when she walked and couldn't run and play with her friends. A third example of the sexualization of early childhood was a boy I had in my class several years ago. He was 8 years old and desperate for a girlfriend. When I asked him why he explained he wanted to kiss her and hold her hand.
There are many implications on healthy development. In the first example the boy was using sex to get attention. Levin & Kilbourne (2009) say that when children are routinely exposed to sex without the emotions and friendships that are also part of a loving relationship "they learn that sex is the defining activity in a relationships" (p 2). Children are shown very rigid gender roles that can lead to girls and boys attaching value only to the appearance of a girl. This can lead to eating problems, depression and precocious sexual behaviour. One way to combat this is to be careful when we praise children in our classes. We should focus our praise on what a child can do not how they look. Another thing we can do as early childhood professionals is to teach children what it means to be a friend. This can help to keep a focus on the loving and caring part of relationships instead of on the physical. My biggest concern is what to do when children in my class are kissing one another. How can I best respond to this? What I have observed so far seems harmless and my reaction has been to remind the kisser to ask permission first.
Levin & Kilbourne (2009) point out that "sex in commercial culture has far more to do with trivialising and objectifying sex than with promoting it, more to do with consuming than with connecting" (p 5). This idea was a clarification of what I have observed. Making people objects to be desired means they can also be discarded or treated badly. We have to work against this kind of thinking.
Reference
Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books.
The first example that popped into my head when I started reading about this topic was from years ago when I worked in a daycare centre. One of the children who was in the after school program started "humping" the floor. This was his word for what he was doing. He was about 6 years old and wanted the attention he would get by shocking the adults at the centre. A second example is the adult looking 'sexy' clothes that some kids where. Why should a 5 year old be wearing shoes with heels? They are not good for her developing body nor are they needed to complete an outfit. A girl in my school a few years ago was wearing shoes to school that had at least 3 cm heels. She wobbled when she walked and couldn't run and play with her friends. A third example of the sexualization of early childhood was a boy I had in my class several years ago. He was 8 years old and desperate for a girlfriend. When I asked him why he explained he wanted to kiss her and hold her hand.
There are many implications on healthy development. In the first example the boy was using sex to get attention. Levin & Kilbourne (2009) say that when children are routinely exposed to sex without the emotions and friendships that are also part of a loving relationship "they learn that sex is the defining activity in a relationships" (p 2). Children are shown very rigid gender roles that can lead to girls and boys attaching value only to the appearance of a girl. This can lead to eating problems, depression and precocious sexual behaviour. One way to combat this is to be careful when we praise children in our classes. We should focus our praise on what a child can do not how they look. Another thing we can do as early childhood professionals is to teach children what it means to be a friend. This can help to keep a focus on the loving and caring part of relationships instead of on the physical. My biggest concern is what to do when children in my class are kissing one another. How can I best respond to this? What I have observed so far seems harmless and my reaction has been to remind the kisser to ask permission first.
Levin & Kilbourne (2009) point out that "sex in commercial culture has far more to do with trivialising and objectifying sex than with promoting it, more to do with consuming than with connecting" (p 5). This idea was a clarification of what I have observed. Making people objects to be desired means they can also be discarded or treated badly. We have to work against this kind of thinking.
Reference
Levin, D. E., & Kilbourne, J. (2009). [Introduction]. So sexy so soon: The new sexualized childhood and what parents can do to protect their kids (pp 1-8). New York: Ballantine Books.
Jennifer, you had some good examples of how children are being sexualized at such a young age. I'm appalled that the 6 year old knew and could demonstrate the term "humping." I have to wonder where he heard and saw such a thing and it makes me sad for him because his innocence is being stripped away at a rapid pace. I also agree with you on how we need to comment on what a child does that is positive and not how they look. I learned this last year when I had one little girl who was always dressed like a fashion model and another little girl who wore very old hand-me-down clothes. The contrast between them was startling and the girl who wore the older clothes felt inferior. I had to really build her up in other ways and downplay the girl's appearance who was dressed to the nines. I focused on other things with both girls and I hope the dressed up girl left my program stronger in her self image because of who she is than how she looked.
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