The Beech Group

Has the world gone crazy – whatever happened to innocent childhood?

I recently read an article stating that a leading name in High Street stores had been stocking padded bikinis for pre-pubescent girls. Children have such a short time to be children that anything that shortens that even further has to be wrong in my opinion.

Sexualizing these little girls lays them open not only to the stalking paedophile, but plants the idea that they should be adult as soon as possible and look as much like “Mummy” as they can. If they have to succumb to the pressure of looking sexual at the age of 6, 7 or 8 what are they going to enjoy and discover at 18,19 or 20.

Already young teenagers are having to conform to their peers and rid themselves of their virginity as soon as possible. It is no longer something special to be experienced during “first love” a gift shared and remembered in the years to come.

I am not foolish enough to believe that every first sexual experience is enjoyable. However, I do think that there is a message that parents can convey that sex is something to be enjoyed with someone they care about.

I see many women, in their late 20s and early 30s, in my Practice who are suffering from a loss of libido and when I talk to them about their early sexual experiences they say things like “I can’t remember the first time, I don’t think I ever saw the boy again, virginity was just something to get rid of”. Sex has never been special for them, some have never had an orgasm, they see doing “it” as a chore and they would rather read a book or go for a walk.

Its time that parents realized that having a child is a privilege which gives them the opportunity to have a blank page to write on and they should write with a very light and carefully considered hand because their words and actions may shape the beliefs of their daughter or son for the rest of their lives.