The Sexualization of Early Childhood

·      Share your reaction to the topic of the sexualization of early childhood.

I am not surprised to hear about the sexualization of children.  I have heard about it and read about it. However, reading about it this week made me more aware.

·      Provide three or more examples, from your personal or professional experience, that further illustrate the exposure of young children to a highly sexualized environment.

About two years ago, while at my daughter’s school for a Thanksgiving Lunch, our daughter’s principal tapped us on the shoulder to let us know that she wanted to speak with us.  Not knowing what was happening, we questioned our daughter and she told us one of her classmates had written her an inappropriate not.  What we were not ready for was the content of the note. While I won’t share the exact content of it, I can say that at 8 years old, there is no way the child should have known to say these things and when she declined his advances, to offer her something if she would allow him to do the things he asked.  Where was he getting this?  Why did he know about it?  I talked to my daughter and although she was clueless about what he was really asking, it made her uncomfortable.  Naturally, because he is a minor, we never got to hear why he was exposed to the type of language and behavior he was sharing with my daughter, but I drew my own conclusions.  Had someone asked sexual favors of him?  If so, did they happen?  Or did he have an older sibling who was telling him about these things but maybe thought it was harmless?  Regardless of the answers to these questions, I realized that I would have to start having the difficult conversations with her (those conversations that I personally was not ready to have with her).  I would have to explain why someone would ask this of her.  Fortunately, I had help from Amy Lang (she has a wealth of information) and she was able to guide the more detailed conversations we would have with our daughter about sex, sexuality, inappropriate touching and all of the topics in between.

Because sexualization is more common and children are aware of what it is and entails, our job made arrangements for Amy Lang (mentioned above) of Birds and Bees Kids to train us and help us look for the warning signs.  Shortly after this training, there were reports that a small child was sexually violated by another older child in that same center.  Shortly after, we received additional training on supervision policies, advising us to be more vigilant in watching where the children are.  This does not address the underlying problem – that some children are exposed to information that they should not be exposed to until they are at an age where they can handle it (I’m 37 and I still don’t know if I’ve reached that age myself). 

·      Explain the implications this may have on children’s healthy development.  

Children who are being raised in a society that sexualizes them can seriously hinder healthy development.  People become “social media” famous for a variety of reasons but what is really popular is the modeling trend.  People show their bodies provocatively and young and impressionable children see their rise to fame and desire the same.  And children access anything with a few clicks of a button. However, trying to meet these standards can lead to unhealthy eating and/or exercise habits.  And not meeting those standards can lead those same children to hate themselves, leading to psychological problems. 

·      Include ideas you might have, as an early childhood professional, to best respond to these concerns and to reduce the negative impact on children.

The best way to respond to these concerns is to let children know that they are worth so much more than what they look like.  They need to be aware that their intellect and how they treat others is far more important than what they look like.  The best time to start is at an early age.  This is why anti-bias education is important.  While teaching about anti-bias, we address differences but also make children aware that their differences do not define them.

·      Describe the ways in which your awareness of the sexualization of early childhood has been influenced and/or modified by studying the topic this week.

Studying this topic will make me think twice before commenting on my looks or anyone else’s!

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