Ok, I'm officially stating there's a small chance I enjoy debate and that I have an easy button you can push when I feel compelled to argue.
But I also feel Ms. Jeanne Sager might exist solely to irritate the, um, Heck, out of me with her blogs.
Her newest attack is on parents who kiss their kiddos to, say, bid them goodnight on the lips. Not joking. See it here.
At least this blog had a small fragrance of thoughtful exchange floating around in it (unlike her recent bemoaning of Pregnancy Parking. See my response/Blog War here.) Seriously though, I once again have to claim BLOG WAR!
Now look. I don't make out with my children. I don't kiss them a million times a day. I don't sit around all day with Daddy making out. And I surely do not presume my 5yr old daughter is a 'sexual harasser,' nor do I believe society to think she is one strictly because she's comfortable getting kisses from her parents.
Ms. Sager quotes out of the book, The Power of Your Child's Imagination, the following blurb:
'She [author Dr. Charlotte Resnick] gives the example of a 6-year-old girl kissed on the lips by her father. It's completely innocent on both sides, but when the girl goes to school and tries to kiss her classmates on the lips -- equally innocently -- she's placed in the role of "sexual harasser."'
This lady is freaking nuts. Not the author of the aforementioned book, Charlotte Resnick. I mean Jeanne Sager - author of a blog that is reviewed by a bazillion folks and who can write both opinion blogs and opinion/"I'm just sayin' " blogs... the one who also picked this additional quote she's pulled from the book:
' "As a child gets to 4 or 5 or 6 and their sexual awareness comes about (and some kids have an awareness earlier -- as when we notice they start masturbating at 2 or 3 sometimes -- they just discover their private parts and it feels good), the kiss on the lips can be stimulating to them," Reznick explains.'
Ugh. I feel a lifetime of counseling might be a mighty good gift for someone that finds kids to be such easy prey ... hmmm?
I'd like to state for the record that my soon to be 6yr-old kindergarten-aged daughter will get kisses from me and her father any time she'd like. And it's my humble opinion that I'm perfectly in the A-OK club upon my refusal to see it as the gateway drug to her becoming a socially labeled sexual harasser.
I'd also like to state for the record that those who find it convenient and further - preemptively okay to ask an entire society to fear kindergartners as potential sexual harassers are in my opinion, idiots. Contest all you will, and yes, I understand there are exceptions to every rule. However, I take serious issue with this theory that a kid who can't even read is at-risk for emotional and social harm in this scenario. Instead, I find this post to be harmful to the entire community who had the unfortunate circumstance of reading it and suddenly thinking that this fear-mongering idea is plausible. Please do not try to disconnect what little human connection is left in a much-too-fast-paced world and try to muddle it up with that "dirty" word sex. Sickos. Instead, find a way to solve more important issues, like cancer or world peace or how I'm supposed to keep a clean home with five people in it, yes?
I love your response to this. Yeah I saw her blog post earlier this week on the subject with Harry Connick Jr and his daughter. It looked like a very sweet momment, and she turned it into something disgusting.
ReplyDeleteThat is really sad. I agree with your response. I am following you from Bloggy Moms...here and on twitter :-) ~Kimberly
ReplyDeletewww.stinkerpinker.com
I received a response from J. Sager re: my reaction to her post. She was none too impressed... See below. Oops. I've gone and upset her.
ReplyDelete" 'SportyMamaSays, your blog contains a host of inaccuracies. One - I did not quote from Dr. Reznick's book; we contacted Dr. Reznick and asked "when are kids too old for the kiss on the lips" and this is what she said.
Two - this is not "my belief." It's that of a reputable and highly respected child psychologist. If you noticed, I also said in this post that I have kissed my OWN CHILD on the lips.
Finally three - this is not an "attack" on parents who did this as I again repeat that I have done it myself. It's a bit of information for all parents who are just like me and never before saw harm in doing it.
Feel free to disagree with what is said in here, but please direct your furor toward the person who is actually saying the words you disagree with.
jeannesager , Jul 27, 2010 at 7:21 PM'"
Bummer. And here I thought what she had broadcast out to the world was, as she says, information from a reputable psychologist that was to make us rethink our at home habits. I personally find it a scary move to post such negative twists on something such as this when you don't actually find the value in it that you challenge your readers to find. Cest la vie!