Sexy little boys and girls

This is probably a common concern, and I'm just late to the debate, but I figured I'd blog about my opinion on society's reaction to sex and juveniles.

Puberty has many stages and most people usually identify just a few obvious ones.  From start to finish, the whole process takes children and turns them into adults.  By adults, i mean that they are able to sexually reproduce.  That process is happening younger and younger as time passes.  From documentation that started back in 1840, girls have been going into puberty 4 months younger every decade.  There has been a recent increase in the age drop since 2006.  There are plenty of studies which say this all results from diet, chemicals, and genetics.  So, in a nutshell, girls are becoming young women about 6-7 years sooner then when anyone started keeping track.  These days boys and girls can reproduce at about 13 years old on average.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puberty)

Now, I'm not saying that 13 year olds are old enough to deal with the consequences of sex, but I am saying that they are going to want to do it and that "want" is as healthy has a hunger for food, a thirst for water, or a gasp for air.  Teach kids about masturbation, make sure they understand the benefits of safe sex, and make sure you parents are giving them love and attention, so they don't go looking for it.

Okay, here is what I'm getting at:  Do you think we have a double standard for boys and girls becoming adults?  It seems like society can't wait for boys to become men, but wants girls to stay girls.  Dads can't wait to show their sons how to shave.  They can't wait for their sons to have the brass balls to ask a girl out on a date.  Buying a boy clothes at a young age so he can look older and impress the girls at school isn't discouraged by anyone... at least i don't think parents try to make young boys look as young as possible.  HOWEVER, ask most fathers what they think about their daughters wearing makeup and flirtatious clothing in middle school, and you will get a totally different attitude.  It's just obvious to me that most parents want boys to become men, and girls to stay girls.

"Sexy" is getting younger and younger.  I'm not talking about the word "pretty."  Children can be pretty or handsome at any age.  Flowers, paintings, and music can be pretty.  You can tell your mother she looks pretty.  But the word "sexy" is a different ball game.  Sexy implies that a person appears sexual, right?  So in my perspective, an eight year old girl shouldn't be made to look sexy with clothing or makeup.  Pretty, yes... sexy, no!  Same with boys, but I think it's less of an issue.  I'm not sure what an eight year old boy could do to his appearance to advertise his sexuality... but whatever it is, eight is too young.  But is thirteen too young for makeup?  You're saying "yes" because you don't want 13 year olds to be sexual.  That makes sense.  But they are sexual.  If not literally, they are mentally.  Regardless of what YOU want, teenage boys and girls WANT to be seen as attractive to each other.  That's NORMAL and HEALTHY!  So, does trying to prevent them from appearing sexy stop them from wanting to be seen as sexual?  Nope.

I guess it comes down to trust.  If you trust your teenagers to make their education their priority, instead of their life revolving around what they think is love, then you probably don't mind them trying to be sexy.  If you think they'll throw away their future's opportunities by being over-focused on sex, then I can see why you want them to stay children.  I guess you need to do what you got to do to trust them.