Where has kid's innocence gone?

Don't know if this has been said before but...

Looking at the tv and newspapers these days it seems it's getting harder to be an innocent kid. Everything seems to be sexualised or commercialised.

When I was child (too long ago to think about) we knew nothing. Bathing with my sister (I'm a guy) was seen as normal and there was nothing untoward about it. Heh, I didn't even know what a girl was until I was fifteen!! These days if a social-worker heard about something like that it's be classed as child-abuse.

The Jon-Benet (?) Ramsey (?) thing comes to mind as well. Six year olds dressed as tarts and paraded in front of adults just isn't natural.

I'm a youth-leader and some of the eight year olds in the club come out with sexual terms and know exactly what they mean. We didn't as kids! Like I said, I didn't notice girls until I was fifteen and it wasn't as if I didn't see any naked!

It seems to me that the money-culture can't reach teenagers anymore (they're getting wise to it) so they're targetting kids and as we know, sex sells.

The politically-correct brigade don't help, they classing anything with 'nudity' as abuse. Smacks of a double-standard actually, using sex to sell stuff to kids on one hand but also being shocked at them responding to it.

Kids should be kids, not mini-adults.

Innocence became history when the almighty dollar assumed control of the world. The two are incompatible.

[edit on 28-9-2006 by 123143]

I think I agree with you there. It's sad. Children just can't be children anymore.

i didn't read all of your stuff but i agreeded with the first lines or so
i think sence its easyer to attan info kids get it alot sooner
than we did when we were younger... not that im old but i can
tell .

Childhood innocence is a fairy tale to the weak.

qoute-Epic/UT2004

Children grow up too fast because the parents allow them to. For example why does a 10 year old need a mobile phone??? and why do parents let kids chat to strangers in internet chatrooms some parents are fkd up, kids are stupid thats why you hear stories of paedophiles grooming kids its because the kid's parents allow it to happen.

You are so right! I miss the days when kids could be kids.

Today children are driven by an adult view of the world. Their priorityies are in things like: blogs, i-pods, E-mail, Fasion cloths (some of which I would never wear) and even violence. I believe in a simple, more family oriented way of living.

Tim

Honestly I don't see the problem, kids should be taught the realities
of the world at a young age, as I don't see the point in lieing to
them and sugar-coating the world until a certain age, than turning
their world upside down.


I grew-up knowing about sex, and that the world was'nt a happy
place, I grew-up seeing how screwed up the world could really be.

And I have to say, compared to the people my age that had the
world sugarcoated, I'm magnitudes of order more intelligent than
them, and I don't have any of the problems some of them have.


I honestly like how kids grow-up now-a-days compared to say the 50s.

Originally posted by iori_komei
Honestly I don't see the problem, kids should be taught the realities
of the world at a young age, as I don't see the point in lieing to
them and sugar-coating the world until a certain age, than turning
their world upside down.

Noone's suggesting a suger-coated world for your first 18 years of life! However I don't see a need to burden a child with all the problems an adult has. An 7 year old should be outside in the afternoon playing, not sitting inside with a stress headache and a mountial of problems to solve. It's not healthy!

Tim

I agree with Ghost, its not about sugar coating its about letting them figure somethings out on their own and not going out of your way to tell them about the realities of the world I think its essential for them to enjoy life according to their age otherwise they will miss out. For example when I was around 12-15 I used to love exploring on my bike and playing football I never thought about drinking or taking drugs not because I was restricted but it just wasnt on my mind but know I can drink and enjoy it. Its fun being a kid and parents should protect that as we all know life as a responsible adult can have its drawbacks such as bills bills bills!!! work work work