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Parent24 : School 7-12 : development behaviour : Let children be children

Let children be children

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It makes me puke when people dress up children in an adult way.

By Marlon Abrahams

Pic: Jade Photography

Article originally in Parent24

Someone just sent me a link to the article elsewhere on Parent24 about the 10-year-old model causing a controversy in modelling circles. The person who sent me the link asked me for my point of view as a concerned father of an 11-year-old young lady and two others aged 5 and 4. Well I literally nearly puked. What the hell! And all the other expletives you can think of!

A while ago I wrote a column about the billboard featuring a baby wearing a new brand of nappy that was recalled because people felt the pay off line “work it baby” implied something sexual. The column and billboard caused quite a stir. But, this has really got my back up. This 10-year-old is as sexy as a Riaan Cruywagen (sorrie Oom Riaan) in drag! And that would be a very disturbing sight, as is this little girl.

Adult before time

Dressed to the nines, hair and make-up done and pouting seductively. Oops nearly puked again. Let me tell the agency or handlers and parents of this kid something about 10-year-old sexuality. There is none! It does not exist! Children need their innocence and sense of adventure and discovery. Becoming an adult before your time just messes everything up in the end. Ask Michael and Liz, they’ll tell you! The only people who are going to find this kid sexy are paedophiles.

My daughter Hannah is 11, she thinks Justin Bieber is cute, but, and any rational parent of a young child will know this, not in a sexy I-want-Justin-to-do-things-to-me-all-night kinda way. No, at this age it’s just a fad, it’s a screaming OMG OMG kinda thing. They don’t have the first frigging clue about sexuality.

My girls have played dress up for me, they do shows, and enact music videos etc. And they do all the stuff they see on TV, but there is a definite sense of childlike innocence and naiveté. The look on this girl’s face is decidedly disturbing and her parents need their heads read for allowing her to become involved in this fiasco.

In so many ways this is wrong. I went on to the Armani website a few months ago to research an article on style for young kids. Go have a look, cute kids, looking like kids, modelling really cool clothes. So why do we have to push it in this direction for crying out loud!

To make more money? To cause hype and sensation? To cause anger? To rob children of their fragile and fleeting childhood? I really hope and pray that this does not become the norm!

Do you think children are being robbed of their childhood?

Read more by Marlon Abrahams

Disclaimer: The views of columnists published on Parent24 are their own and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of Parent24.