The Sexualization of Early Childhood

"Children growing up today are bombarded from a very early age with graphic messages about sex and
sexiness in the media and popular culture." (Levin, 2009). Today children are exposed to so much sex it is ridiculous. From the shows they watch, to the songs they sing, to the friends they hang with. Children are constantly put in a position where they are exposed to sexy dance moves, kissing, hugging and sex. If they choose not to participate they are talked about by thier friends and treated bad. Some are ostracized and made to feel worthless. As a teenage, my mom did not let me date or watch the kind of shows that are on now, but I cannot keep my kids from being exposed when it is constantly all around them. I have tried to watch some of these shows and to tell you to truth i can't believe what I see. Kids as young as nine and ten are dressed or should I say half dressed and moving in a way that make me blush and leave the room. The things they are doing should be kept to the privacy of a bedroom and the moves should not be done by a child their age and they should not even know anything about them.

 These stats about teen pregnancy are amazing:

  Despite declines in rates of teen pregnancy in the U.S., about 820,000 teens become pregnant each   year. That means that 34 percent of teenagers have at least one pregnancy before they turn 20. 

• 79 percent of teenagers who become pregnant are unmarried. 
• Utah's teen pregnancy rate is high, as well as Southern teen pregnancy but these are areas where women still get married prior to the age of 20 with some regularity (although this is changing). 
• 80 percent of teenage pregnancies are unintended. 
• Nearly four in ten teenage girls whose first intercourse experience happened at 13 or 14 report that the sex was unwanted or involuntary. 
• The main rise in the teen pregnancy rate is among girls younger than 15* 
• Close to 25 percent of teen mothers have a second child within two years of the first birth.*  

Children should be able to enjoy their lives and teenage years and not have to care for a child when they are just a child themselves. My hope is that my children be as careful as possible and try to make the right decison amid all the peer pressure and media exposure.


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. Retrieved from: http://dianeelevin.com/sosexysosoon/introduction.pdf

Teen Pregnancy Statistics - Teen Pregnancy   

retrieved on October 12, 2014 from

www.teenhelp.com/teen-pregnancy/teen-pregnancy-statistics.html

Evaluating Impacts on Professional Practice

The ism that I encounter everyday is racism. Everyday everyone say that it is getting better or that I don't exist anymore this is a story. "Racism has existed throughout human history. It may be defined as the hatred of one person by another -- or the belief that another person is less than human -- because of skin color, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nations, and legal codes." (www.adl,org, 2001).Racism is still a major problem from trying to purchase a house to trying to get a job or promotion. On my job it took a long time for the supervisor to recognize the work I do and give me credit for a job well done and a promotion. Whites don't want to think that a African American is as smart as or smarter than them.
My experience with people on my job may cause me to believe that all Whites are this way and cause me to treat my students of this race with disdain and even loathing because of the way I am being treated. I may not give them the time and attention that I know that I should and may give them all the benefits of my knowledge. We, as educator are suppose to treat everyone the same and show respect for all, but if all you encounter everyday from a certain race is racism and you are feeling like you are being looked over and looked down at that will sooner or later start to affect your mind, body and soul. No child is to blame for what thier parents feel and think and I would try my best to get past my feelings and give the best education I can.

Observing Communication

The place that I observed a parent and child was at a gas station. The child was about 7 years old and seem to be very used to getting his way. The child wanted some candy and kept going over to the rack and picking it up. The parent took the candy away and told the child that they could not have it because they was going home to have dinner. The child start to cry and stomp his feet. Everyone started looking at them and you could tell that the parent was becoming embarrassed, she finally purchased the candy and took the child back to the car. This was not very good at all because the parent should have made a point of letting the child know that just because he cry and stomp his feet that he cannot get everything that he wants. According this article,  "Do not reward your child's tantrum by giving in. This will only prove to your little one that the tantrum was effective. Instead, verbally praise a child for regaining control. Also, kids may be especially vulnerable after a tantrum when they know they've been less than adorable. Now (when your child is calm) is the time for a hug and reassurance that your child is loved, no matter what."(Heath, 2010).  "Effective parent-child communication is the basis of positive parent-child interactions and high self-esteem in children. Furthermore, effective communication between parents and children prevents problematic behavior and helps children understand how to interact effectively with others.(kidshealth, 2014). If this parent learn how to communicate effectively this child will go up to be a very productive adult.

References
Effective Communication with Children | Education.com retrieved on September 20, 2014 from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/effective-parent-child-communication/

Temper Tantrums - KidsHealth retrieved on September 20, 2014 from
kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/tantrums.html

Creating Affirming Environments

For my family care home, I would have everything needed to make sure that my surrounding is completely suited to everyone.  The definition of a family care provider " is a person who uses their residence to provide paid child care on a regular, ongoing basis. Children are brought to the caregiver's home for care (vs. a caregiver who goes to the child's home to provide care).(www.about.com, 2014.) My house will consist of everything from books that depicts stories about different races and cultures to stories of struggles, triumphs, and tragedy, so that kids can learn about and be proud of their heritage. We would play music from different countries and watch different types of movies and videos that teach different languages for the kids to learn. We will have fun by playing with dolls, coloring pictures, doing plays to the girls and boys will enjoy. No one will be made to play with different types of toys according to their age or sex. If a boy want to play with a doll, he can and if a girl want to play with a car, she can without feeling like they will be teased or ridiculed. We will play, laugh, sing, dance, read, build and talk about whatever we are feeling. My house will feel like their house and no one will ever be made to feel like and outsider. In my family care home, everyone is family.

References
What is a Family Child Care Provider? - About
childcare.about.com  › In-Home Child Care

What I have learned

The one hope that I have when working with children and families from a diverse background is that they are all given a chance and opportunity to learn. I want these children and their families to be treated the same as kids from a more privilege background who may have better resources and people to help them. I hope that the educators will not show them any bias and they will treat them equally and fairly and help them to develop the self-confidence to handle any situation that they may encounter. I wish that early childhood leaders and instructors will pay more attention to the fact that diversity is something that is not going away. People of all types, groups, colors, and blended families are having kids, teaching, and opening day cares, so more laws and rules need to be made so that some of these children and families will not be made to feel like they are outcasts and treated different because of their diversity.
To my classmates, good luck and god sped, it has been a pleasure to get to know you through our blogs and discussions post. I enjoyed seeing pictures of your family and home life. I hope that you complete this course and get your degree and make all of your dreams come ture.

Creating Art

"We Don't Say Those Words in Class!"

Last year, when we went to the water park, there was a lot of people of different colors and nationality. My daughter saw a little boy who skin was as dark as hers and pointed to him and said "look mama, he is the same color as me, but he talks different." I politely smiled at the child and her parents and apologized for my daughters outburst and took her to the side and explained that the child talked funny because he was from a different country, but he still deserve respect and not to be singled out just because he talked funny. I tried not to make her feel bad for being outspoken and expressing her opinion, but I was a little embarrassed myself because I felt that I should have did a better job of teaching her about diversity. It is our job as parents to teach our kids about diversity first. "Bring into your home toys, books, TV programs, and records that reflect diversity.  Provide images of nontraditional gender roles, diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, and a range of family lifestyles. Show that you value diversity through your friendships and business relationships.  What you do is as important as what you say. Make and enforce a firm rule that a person's ethnic background is never an acceptable reason for teasing or rejecting someone.
Provide opportunities for your children to interact with others who are racially or culturally different and with people who have disabilities.  Look for opportunities in the neighborhood, school, afterschool and weekend programs, places of worship, camps, concerts, and other community events. Respectfully listen to and answer your child's questions about people's differences. If you ignore questions, change the subject, sidestep, or scold your child for asking, you may suggest that the subject is bad or inappropriate.
Teach you child ways to think objectively about bias and discrimination and to witness against these injustices. Set an example by your own actions."(ncpc.org,2014)
As anti bias educator, I would respond to the child by showing her pictures, drawing, movies about people from different races and explaining to her just because they are the same color, it does not make them the same. There are many people from different country who may look like her but their cultures and values may be different but we must not make fun of them, we can learn many things from them and them from us.

References

How Parents Can Teach Kids About Diversity — National Crime ...retrieved on June 14, 2014 from

www.ncpc.org/topics/hate-crime/diversity