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Location: Everybody is going to hurt you, you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for-B Marley
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I was listening to some first graders talking about a boy they like and they were informing each other who he likes now. "He doesn't like me anymore and doesn't want to hold my hand or sit by me, he likes Jessica C". The other one said, "I'll talk to him about it today". I'm thinking ! Forget about when I was in grade school, when my own kids were in school they didn't even do that. I know because I spent a lot of time at their school. How widespread is it that kids this young are talking romance?
I was listening to some first graders talking about a boy they like and they were informing each other who he likes now. "He doesn't like me anymore and doesn't want to hold my hand or sit by me, he likes Jessica C". The other one said, "I'll talk to him about it today". I'm thinking ! Forget about when I was in grade school, when my own kids were in school they didn't even do that. I know because I spent a lot of time at their school. How widespread is it that kids this young are talking romance?
Little puppy love school yard crushes have happened since the beginning of time. I still remember my first crush in the 2nd grade - an angelic looking little boy named Milton
However, since the lowering of standards, mores and values in society and on television in the last 20 years, and the way 99% of kids are being raised with 6-10 hours of tv a day, this is the kind of crap that is happening more and more.
It is very sad, but young kids are getting WAY too much information at WAY too early of an age on the subject of sex, relationships and violence. And the really upsetting thing is, most of what they are getting is BAD information. Too many parents today haven't yet grown up themselves and treat their kids more like peers too.
I noticed this as soon as my son started public pre-K (4 and 5 year olds). He was quickly telling us how he liked so and so, but she liked this other boy better, etc. We ignored it and thought OK, no big deal. Then he came home and asked if he could "write a note" to his friend. He proceeded to draw a picture of her and had us help him write "to x" "love y". We drew the line at the "love" part and changed it to "your friend". The next day he had a note in his bag from the girl. My wife talked to the girls mom after school and she was just as flabergasted as we were. We basically took the position that it was innocent enough and let them exchange notes.
We moved recently and now he is on a new crush. She is in his class and also played t-ball on another team. Whenever he played that team and she was at bat or on base my little Derek Jeter just stood there and watched her go around the bases. He's also taken to exchanging silly bandz with her and the ones she gives him are like prized possessions.
I honestly don't know where he got it from. We're pretty liberal with what he can watch on TV, but he watches at most 1-2 hours a day and mainly kid shows. I wanted to blame iCarly which he has a fascination with, but it started before he ever saw the show. Talking to other parents it seems to be a pretty common thing. I remember having schoolyard crushes at that age (the twins Candi and Ginger in Kindergarten come to mind) and even a little girlfriend in 2nd grade, but this is a little much.
Like I've said it is innocent enough and we have used it as a chance to talk a little about relationships and gauge what he thinks and knows, but we weren't expecting this kind of thing for a while.
Location: Everybody is going to hurt you, you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for-B Marley
9,516 posts, read 20,000,387 times
Reputation: 9418
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovesMountains
Little puppy love school yard crushes have happened since the beginning of time. I still remember my first crush in the 2nd grade - an angelic looking little boy named Milton
However, since the lowering of standards, mores and values in society and on television in the last 20 years, and the way 99% of kids are being raised with 6-10 hours of tv a day, this is the kind of crap that is happening more and more.
It is very sad, but young kids are getting WAY too much information at WAY too early of an age on the subject of sex, relationships and violence. And the really upsetting thing is, most of what they are getting is BAD information. Too many parents today haven't yet grown up themselves and treat their kids more like peers too.
Right. I remember my first crush in kindergarten, a little blond boy name David. It never went further than admiring him from a distance. LOL I agree, you're right about your evaluation, I think.
Location: Everybody is going to hurt you, you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for-B Marley
9,516 posts, read 20,000,387 times
Reputation: 9418
Quote:
Originally Posted by manderly6
Be happy they were talking about holding hands and sitting by each other and not something worse.
I knew this statement was coming but how do you know they're not doing something worse? I heard of at least one case where someone as young as eight was caught having sex with another child their age. Just holding hands never even crossed my mind at that age.
Location: Everybody is going to hurt you, you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for-B Marley
9,516 posts, read 20,000,387 times
Reputation: 9418
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJGOAT
I noticed this as soon as my son started public pre-K (4 and 5 year olds). He was quickly telling us how he liked so and so, but she liked this other boy better, etc. We ignored it and thought OK, no big deal. Then he came home and asked if he could "write a note" to his friend. He proceeded to draw a picture of her and had us help him write "to x" "love y". We drew the line at the "love" part and changed it to "your friend". The next day he had a note in his bag from the girl. My wife talked to the girls mom after school and she was just as flabergasted as we were. We basically took the position that it was innocent enough and let them exchange notes.
We moved recently and now he is on a new crush. She is in his class and also played t-ball on another team. Whenever he played that team and she was at bat or on base my little Derek Jeter just stood there and watched her go around the bases. He's also taken to exchanging silly bandz with her and the ones she gives him are like prized possessions.
I honestly don't know where he got it from. We're pretty liberal with what he can watch on TV, but he watches at most 1-2 hours a day and mainly kid shows. I wanted to blame iCarly which he has a fascination with, but it started before he ever saw the show. Talking to other parents it seems to be a pretty common thing. I remember having schoolyard crushes at that age (the twins Candi and Ginger in Kindergarten come to mind) and even a little girlfriend in 2nd grade, but this is a little much.
Like I've said it is innocent enough and we have used it as a chance to talk a little about relationships and gauge what he thinks and knows, but we weren't expecting this kind of thing for a while.
That's great that you're doing that.
I just hope parents always remember one talk is never enough. You can never stop talking to them about things such as drugs, kindness, self esteem, peer pressure, bullying, etc. Repetition is what works on kids. That's why tv is such a bad influence on them; the bad things they see are shown over and over and they suck it up like little sponges.
I knew this statement was coming but how do you know they're not doing something worse? I heard of at least one case where someone as young as eight was caught having sex with another child their age. Just holding hands never even crossed my mind at that age.
You probably don't know. But the fact that it isn't being talked about must be better than if it was.
lol, I remember my crushes in elementary school. We used to play "kiss tag" and chase the boys at recess to try to get 'em. This was kindergarten!
It was all innocent. I had crushes every year though. I remember sitting in class the first week of school picking out the cute boy for the year, and then playing games with my girlfriends to pick who we were going to marry (jump rope rhymes, etc)
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! Forget about when I was in grade school, when my own kids were in school they didn't even do that. I know because I spent a lot of time at their school. How widespread is it that kids this young are talking romance? 
