Double Take on That One | Eastern North Carolina Now

    When I think about what activities I would want my future children to partake in, several come to mind. Right at the top of said list is what some of the kids in England are doing, pole dancing. Yea, right! What are these parents thinking? Children as young as seven are enrolled in these classes, with parents having the notion that it's a type of gymnastics and not sexual. There's no doubt that this particular activity requires a lot of upper body strength and works the core muscles. However, correct me if I'm wrong, that is what traditional gymnastics are for. Many people are now trying to have society view their activity as a sport or art. Regardless of the exercise, parents should not be pushing their children into adulthood earlier and earlier and then wonder what's happening to today's society. I am becoming more and more disappointed with the younger generations as well as society as a whole, I hope to one day be refreshed and be glad to be a member of this society.

    Parents in England that have their children take these pole dancing classes must not be able to foresee any possible negative repercussions. What happens if when these kids grow up and want to be pole dancers? Will the parents frown upon it then, when they paid for the lessons and their children are putting it into practice? As innocent as it may seem at the time, there's a certain impact into the child's subconscious and developmental behavior that's bound to occur. There is the argument that pole dancing can be a non-sexual activity, although it will take a long time for it to be viewed in any other way. Even when portrayed as a sport or art there is an element of sexuality from the techniques and music. It is the goal of most parents to keep their kids "off the pole", parents will lose the moral example to share with their kids that they shouldn't do that as a career. I may be a bit old fashioned, but I will do my best to ensure that any children I have some day will not be a pole dancer; especially not having them doing it their whole lives. I've made this point before and it has come to my attention again in another light, today's children are just growing up too fast. The next thing you know, they'll have a doll for kids that will breastfeed; oh wait, they already do!

    Again Europe has spurred a controversial child subject, this time it's a toy company in Spain. They have a doll that teaches young girls how to breastfeed. The doll cries, the girl puts on a halter top over her shirt with little flower pasties to simulate nipples; the doll is placed to the breast and makes the suckling sound, then is burped. Does this paint a disturbing picture for anyone else? Society is perplexed when children are getting pregnant in middle school, and sexually promiscuous in elementary school, yet parents, toy companies, and the media all set the stage for it. It is becoming a true tragedy; society is spiraling further and further down the demoralizing rabbit hole. What will happen when society is compiled of parents and children that are barely ten years apart? How can these young parents support their children? There seems to be a dwindling sense of discipline and responsibility these days. A combination of underage, single parents and parents that abuse the system are only leading their children to the same fate. Children learn and develop by the examples set at home; some of which do break the cycle, but more often than not they add to the continuing problem. The media is not helping to set any better example for today's youth.

    Many will argue that television is not what sets the bad example, but parents allowing them to watch such shows. However, when the shows are on tv channels specifically focused for young children, then the media does have a role of responsibility. Some shows that I have noticed on the children's cartoon channel that are particularly disturbing include Adventure Time, Regular Show, and the shows that feature real people in high school younger that are acting grown up. Again, being a bit old fashioned to want children watching good, clean cartoons without worrying about them receiving misguided messages. Television and games have changed their focus dramatically it seems within that past decade or so. Here's a radical idea, rather than showing kids cartoons that portray bad behavior, un-idealistic situations and promote mischievousness, maybe cartoons could send good messages and still be entertaining; but maybe that's asking for too much creativity with morals in mind. Certain shows that are family focused are degrading as well, but mostly reflect what society has become.

    Toddlers & Tiaras has shed light on how children that can barely read and write look and act like grown adults. Back to the issue of pole dancing becoming viewed as non-sexual, one of my favorite shows, America's Got Talent had two contestants who were pole dancers, a man and woman. The man performed in heels, glitter, and tight little shorts, yea way to be not sexual... The woman was genuinely trying to show pole dancing in a poetic sense rather than sexual so her parents would be proud, she painted herself blue and wore a non-too-revealing outfit; she did not move on to the next level. Almost all of the shows that feature dancing have women wearing the skimpiest outfits. Again, we wonder why things are going the way they are.

    Something needs to be done to boost the quality of society. Children need to learn good morals, how to effectively read, write, and problem solve so they can effectively make good decisions throughout their life. Parents, government, and the media must provide a better set of examples for children; everyone knows that children lead by example "monkey see, monkey do". If a child see's their parent not working, having several kids, and abusing welfare and other benefits that they receive, then what's to tell them that's wrong? I don't know where the "wrong turn at Albuquerque" was, but we need to make a serious u-turn.


Breast Milk Baby Doll