Monday, October 26, 2009

The "bad" girls in my area

The question was innocent enough.
 "Mom, did you know there are bad girls in our area?"
What do you mean "bad" girls?
It didn't hit me that he meant bad girls.
My son thought it meant they were in jail. But it turns out that during a visit at Grandma and Grandpa's house, a pop-up message came up while he, with grandpa in the chair next to him ,was on the PBS Kids web site. (Just for the record, my inlaws are not surfing porn but happen to be victims of internet naivete and an adult son living at home.)
Was there a picture? I ask.
No...Just words, he said.
Still, he wanted to know why there were bad girls in our area.
I told him there are bad people everywhere. Because seriously, what are you supposed to tell your 8-year-old about "bad girls" or boys for that matter.
This I know is just the beginning for me. I don't want to have these conversations. I know they are coming and the timing seems forced by a warped society that seems to expose kids to adult circumstances at younger and younger ages. Sex or inferences to it were just on the Disney Channel this morning for God's sake.
Maybe I need to go back to Barney the purple dinosaur or the Wiggles...a time when life was simple and yes, a tad annoying. But I'll take captain feathersword 24/7 over the bad girls in my area.
I went to a party at a friend of friend of friend's home recently. It was a benefit really, sponsored by Planned Parenthood on how to talk to children truthfully in age appropriate ways about their changing bodies and ultimately sexuality.
I went to get a head start but it seems preparing for the conversation at 8 is actually not a stretch but right on time.
I bought a book.
I'm looking for learning opportunties to present itself and then I hope I won't chicken out.

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