This week’s topic of the sexualization in early childhood is very worrying to me. The real-life accounts presented in the book excerpt, So Sexy So Soon,are alarming for parents, educators, and should be to the rest of society as well.
As summer approaches, I look at what young children are wearing to the pool and beach and see the big difference in bathing suit choices for girls and boys. Boys are given the option of swim trunks and swim shirts while girls are given bathing suits and most of the time bikinis. This shows me that even young girls are expected to dress a certain way when going to swim and that they should be wearing as little as possible. This can give young girls self-esteem issues early on if they are not comfortable wearing these items.
When I think back to some of my past students, I remember some of them and their love of dancing. While dancing is a fantastic thing to be doing, the choice of dance moves can be alarming. Children are often watching older sibling, their parents, or videos on the internet of people dancing and are mimicking them.
In my first few years of teaching, I had a few classes that loved to sing the hits from the radio. There were quite a few times though that I was surprised at the songs they were singing because they were referencing sex or were overtly sexual. If children are thinking that the lyrics to each of the songs they were singing were truly about their lives then they may have an unrealistic image of relationships and themselves.
As an early childhood educator, I think that in many ways we need to be current in what is going on around us. Recently I have not kept up with the popular music that children are listening to but I think it is important that I know the songs they are singing so that I can talk to them about it if need be. Talking to children openly is a good step in the right direction to reduce the negative impact on their development. In some cases, I may need to talk to families as they may not realize that their child is actually paying attention to the radio in the car or the videos that a family member may be watching. In terms of clothing choices, I really just suggest that if you are not comfortable with your child wearing something, do not buy it. This is definitely difficult for some things but it is necessary to help children in their healthy development.
References
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. Retrieved from http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf
Robin,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that this topic is very alarming. I have realized that children are growing up faster than before but I did not realize the extent to which media has an effect on this. I have also seen children dance in questionable ways and sing lyrics that were too mature. It is so sad because they don't understand what they are doing and how other people can perceive this. I think intervention is definitely necessary to changing these negative effects.
Great Post Robin,
ReplyDeleteYou said a very important statement, we as educators and parent need to be current of what is going on in the lives of children today. Instead of children wanting to be something professional, they are leaning more towards wanting to be mommies by 20, dancing in videos, and having the latest fashion. We need to make sure that when they walk through our doors they feel loved and are pushed to know that they can conquer anything that comes there way. Great post again.