Impacts on Early Emotional Development

                                         

Vietnam history is well known because of its war with the United States. I chose Vietnam because it is a country that is continuously rebuilding itself and one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. Vietnam is considered to be a lower middle-income country. Despite this growth, children in rural areas continue to face many challenges. Conditions beyond children’s control continue to deny some of them a fair chance to achieve their potential. Children and families have to deal with the effects of climate change. The gap has increased between wealthy and poor, with many children left behind, lacking necessities such clean water, proper nutrition, quality healthcare and inclusive education. A lack of access to clean water and sanitation, combined with long periods of drought, means children are susceptible to malnutrition and disease. They don’t receive adequate health care, and there is a high number of deaths from preventable diseases every day.  One in five children in Vietnam's rural areas does not attend school(UNICEF,2011)

The emotional well-being of children rests in everyone coming together to provide the necessary resources to fight the many challenges and critical issues impacting the millions of children who are not benefitting equally from prosperity in the country. Children from ethnic minorities in Vietnam face exclusion and few opportunities because they don’t speak Vietnamese as a first language. This plays a role in them not achieving the levels of education to help them get out of poverty.  Focusing on trade and business development should not replace investment in children’s well-being and development, particularly in hard to reach rural areas where ethnic minorities live(UNICEF, 2011)

It doesn’t matter what country you live in or where you come from; early childhood is important for cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. A child’s brain is developing during these years and if developing brains they lack some of their basic needs to survive their development may be thwarted. To ensure optimal brain development requires children need a  stimulating environment, the proper nutrition and social interaction with people who are entrusted with their care. As educators, we play a crucial part in partnerships with parents to ensure their need are met(UNICEF, n. d. ).

                                                              References

Overview - UNICEF DATA. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://data.unicef.org/topic/early-childhood-development/overview

UNICEF (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/

         
 

The Sexualization of Early Childhood

 The subject of sexualization of early childhood is a reality that we must deal with in today’s society. Children are learning about sexualization but do not understand it at this young age. Girls learn at a very early age that they are judged by the way they look, and boys are taught to judge girls by how close they come to a fake,” impossible, and shallow ideal “(Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009 pg.2). Sexualizing girls is nothing new and happens all the time in the media, on television, and in the clothing industry. 

I have observed sexualization of children in many ways. Children have so much exposure to TV, internet, advertisement and marketing that show sexualization. Children come to school singing lyrics that contain inappropriate sexual language. They are exposed to these songs in their home environments, outside in their communities, on television, and from their peers. In music videos, girls shake their body's and move in provocative ways because they think that it is cute, acceptable and what everyone wants to see. Beauty pageants feature young toddlers and preschoolers with excess makeup, extreme fashions which make them visualize how they are supposed to look. The way children, especially girls, are being presented in the media is becoming an issue because of all the new TV shows such as “Toddlers and Tiaras.” The way they are portrayed in these shows plays a part in shaping their identity. 

The vast amount of sexualization shown in the media can stunt the development of children during a time in which they should be having fun rather than focusing on the way they look and trying to grow up. The sexualization of girls in the media can lead to lower self-esteem; physical and mental health disorders, including depression and eating disorders; and a distorted body image, because girls don’t feel that they can achieve the physical beauty they see in images around them (Levin, & Kilbourne, 2009). Everyone at all levels must work to create an environment that is supportive of children's healthy gender and sexual development. To stop sexualization, we must enact public policies that reduce the sexualization of children including limiting the power that corporations have to market sex to children without any consequences. As teachers, when children emulate sexualized behavior we should identify and stop the children’s sexualized behavior immediately in the classroom. The language we use should be direct, but it should not shame the children.

My awareness of sexualization has been significantly enhanced.  I learned a lot about the role that the different types of media play regarding the sexualization of children. We do not think about how much harm things such as music videos, or video games that portray children negative light can affect their gender and healthy development. 

                                        References

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

 Pictures retrieved October 8, 20156 from
https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+sexualization&tbm