The Sexualization of Early Childhood

•What is your reaction to the ideas shared in this reading?

It is very shocking how the media targets young children.  Today, marketers attempt to sell children clothes that are designed to make them look like adults.  Levin and Kilbourne (2009) stated that “many industries make an obscene amount of money using sex and violence to market their products to children” (p. 2).  These practices are not productive, they are predatory.  Young children are not capable of making the decisions to wear the type of products and clothing presented to them.  As a result, it is evident that children are being sexualized in the media and companies profit from this behavior.

•In what ways have you observed the sexualization of early childhood in your own personal and professional experiences? What examples have you encountered in store advertisements, television, the Internet, other types of media, and/or other types of environments?

In the Head Start classroom, I have personally seen young children wearing tight clothes, lip gloss, purses, and earrings.  The parents actually buy these clothes because celebrities wear them or they want their daughters to look like models. 

•How might these messages impact children and their healthy development? Consider the ways they might influence gender identity, what children learn about being a girl or a boy, the expectations children may develop about gender, and other related concerns.

The sexualization of children is unhealthy for their development.  When parents dress their girls in a sexual manner, it can demean their self image.  Boys can also develop a misconception of girls as sex objects.  Levin and Kilbourne (2009) stated that “today’s cultural environment bombards children with inappropriate and harmful messages, and as children struggle to understand what they see and hear” (p. 4).  Therefore, parents and teachers have to work together to create positive examples for the children.

 

•What can early childhood professionals do to tackle this problem and reduce the negative effects that it has on young children?

Educators can discuss appropriate developmentin the classroom.  Educators can also work with parents to help them understand how to avoid media pressure and how to work with children.  Everyone has to work together to help children develop a healthy image.  

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.

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

Diverse families have different needs and various consequences due to the isms that exist.  For example, LGBTism is based on the discrimination against LGBT parents. I have admitted that I was not very comfortable working with homosexual parents.  I do not discriminate against parents.  However, my personal biases can impact my ability to work with these families.  As a result, I have to overcome my own biases to protect the children of these families.  Children from LGBT parents can experience teasing because of the family structure.  Therefore, it is important to address issues with the children and to ensure that children understand that families are diverse.  I would explain to children that some families have to mothers or two fathers.  As a result, it is not nice to tease children from diverse families.  This is a key element of anti-bias education.

Observing Communication

I observed a child asking a parent why a woman was riding in a wheelchair in the grocery store.  The woman was riding a hoover round and was uanble to walk.  The parent simply told the child that the woman was old.  The child then asked how come grandma walks; she is old?  The parent then replied that some old people can walk and some cannot. 

In the communication, I do not believe that the child was satisfied with the answer.  The parent should have taken the time to explain that some people are disabled or they become weak as they get older.  As a result, some older people have to ride hover rounds to help them get around.  Parents and teachers should take the opportunity to teach children about diversity and ensure that the children learn how to identify and accept diversity in others.

Creating Affirming Environments

I work in a Head Start environment.  The Head Start classroom would have sections and learning areas to promote learning activities for children.  The materials in the classroom would include photos and books that represent the diverse group of children in the class.

I would include:

1. Books that promote diversity
2. Images of people who represent the children in the class
3. Music
4. Toys and activities
5. Art

The classroom would have a active play area, a reading area, and a learning center.  The children would work in small groups at tables in the class.

What I Have Learned

What I Have Learned

One hope that I have for working with diverse children is that all families are included and have a fruitful learning experience.  My hope is to provide a quality education for all the children in the class and to establish effective relationships with the families.

My goal is to become an advocate for children to improve their experiences in early childhood education.  As advocates, early childhood educators can improve the quality of early childhood education for disadvantaged children.

I would like to thank everyone for contributing to my blog.  I wish all of you the best in your future goals as early childhood educators.

Creating Art

Diversity Poem.

Children are unique with different abilities and needs,
They learn and play as teachers plant seeds.
Chidlren from different cultures, backgrounds, and all walk of life,
Work hard to learn and overcome personal strife.
As an educator, I will do my best to teach acceptance in a class that is bias free,
So that every child can grow and develop and learn to see...
That diversity is beautiful.

This image illustrates diversity to me.

Start Seeing Diversity Blog: "We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

About one week ago, I was in Walmart and I saw a woman riding one of the carts.  When the woman passed a man and his son, the young boy said, "Daddy, that woman is too fat to walk."  The father appeared embarassed and told the son to stop saying that.  This was not the right way to handle this situation.

In early childhood education, children are very open and honest about their comments and views of the world.  The woman was obese and could not walk around the store.  However, the child did not understand that the woman was disabled.  In teh early childhood classroom, I would inform the child and other children that it is not nice to tease or meddle people who are different.  I would further explain that some people are disabled and that when they see a person who disabled, they should not point out the difference.  The child in the store did not realize that his comment hurt the woman's feelings.  Therefore, parents and educators have to work together to teach children the proper way to address people in public.  Children need to understand and accept diversity, and they must be taught to respect others.