As the mother of a little boy who will be entering the public school system in about eighteen months I have mixed feelings about the “sexual harassment” policy that some schools have adopted.
I totally understand and support the idea that no child should be put in a position where they feel victimized in any way by another student (or teacher for that matter). I would personally come to the school and deliver a public ass whipping to my son if I thought he was intentionally hurting or harassing another child without provocation (or depending on the situation even with provocation). But I don’t know how I feel about labeling a CHILD (under the age of 10) as a sexual deviant or even insinuating that they have the capacity to harass someone sexually.
I mean do we really live in such a debauched society that our children are capable of sexually violating each other at SIX YEARS OLD?!?
I think early on when inappropriate behavior is identified it definitely needs to be corrected. Regardless to if you are a boy or girl, you should keep your hands to yourself and not “grope” each other. But sometimes in the innocence of childhood play especially with boys I have seen where they tend to do things that will spark a reaction. For example, last night my son kept acting as if he was going to spray me with water because I kept shrieking and telling him not to. . .he thought it was a game because Mommy had not put on her “serious” face yet.
I think in some part due to images they see (whether in person or on t.v.) no matter how innocent, a couple kissing in a commercial for example, they try to emulate those images to get a reaction from the intended. I refuse to believe that a male child in elementary school who swats a female classmate on the behind (which is dead WRONG) is doing it with the intention of trying to “cop a feel”. Again, they need to be pulled aside and told that the behavior is unacceptable because if it’s not corrected early on- then as they get older there will unequivocally be a problem. But I think that if punishment is going to be doled out it should be for “hitting” or even “touching” but when you say “sexual harassment” and essentially treat a child like an adult you are in many ways taking away that child’s innocence and potentially placing deviant thoughts where they never existed.
Here’s what started my rant. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AsSeenOnGMA/story?id=4585388
I totally understand and support the idea that no child should be put in a position where they feel victimized in any way by another student (or teacher for that matter). I would personally come to the school and deliver a public ass whipping to my son if I thought he was intentionally hurting or harassing another child without provocation (or depending on the situation even with provocation). But I don’t know how I feel about labeling a CHILD (under the age of 10) as a sexual deviant or even insinuating that they have the capacity to harass someone sexually.
I mean do we really live in such a debauched society that our children are capable of sexually violating each other at SIX YEARS OLD?!?
I think early on when inappropriate behavior is identified it definitely needs to be corrected. Regardless to if you are a boy or girl, you should keep your hands to yourself and not “grope” each other. But sometimes in the innocence of childhood play especially with boys I have seen where they tend to do things that will spark a reaction. For example, last night my son kept acting as if he was going to spray me with water because I kept shrieking and telling him not to. . .he thought it was a game because Mommy had not put on her “serious” face yet.
I think in some part due to images they see (whether in person or on t.v.) no matter how innocent, a couple kissing in a commercial for example, they try to emulate those images to get a reaction from the intended. I refuse to believe that a male child in elementary school who swats a female classmate on the behind (which is dead WRONG) is doing it with the intention of trying to “cop a feel”. Again, they need to be pulled aside and told that the behavior is unacceptable because if it’s not corrected early on- then as they get older there will unequivocally be a problem. But I think that if punishment is going to be doled out it should be for “hitting” or even “touching” but when you say “sexual harassment” and essentially treat a child like an adult you are in many ways taking away that child’s innocence and potentially placing deviant thoughts where they never existed.
Here’s what started my rant. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AsSeenOnGMA/story?id=4585388
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