PoohsDen

The other horrifying news the fortnight

The Mumbai attacks take the cake as the most horrifying news of the fortnight and this comes a close second.

It is probably one of the worst things I have ever heard. A 9-yr old school kid pens down a book. Ofcourse, writing a book is a great deal. It takes time, creativity and a spirit. This kid does have it. But the topic of discussion in the book makes me go yuck!

9- year old Alec Greven – a fourth grader in Colorado has written a book, published by Harper Collins titled “How to Talk to Girls”.

A few lines from the book,

“Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil. The best choice for most boys is a regular girl. Remember, some pretty girls are coldhearted when it comes to boys. Don’t let them get to you.”

This for some reason really pisses me off. I try to remember what I was like when I was 9 and probably in my 4th standard. My biggest thrill in those days were unexpected school holidays, and winning or trying to win the GK quiz.

Pictures to promote the book show the 9-yr old in a bar with grown-up women dressed for a evening in the town and having a drink. How will you react when a 9-yr old girl writes a book “how to talk to boys” and has a picture of her in a bar with 2 grown up men? What is your take? Do you think a 9-yr old can/should spend/waste his spirit/creativity in writing a book on dating?

At the back of my mind, there is this nagging question. The teachers and principal of the school encouraged it. The parents are proud. Is it the right message? Should 9-yr olds be worrying about how to talk and what message to send to the opposite sex? Should a 9-yr old view personal grooming (comb your hair and don’t wear sweats) as a way to win girls?

If a 16-yr old wrote the book I won’t be so worked up but isn’t 9 too young? I view 9-yr olds as cute kids with big dreams and kids who like to think they are grown-ups and act like one but still have innocence that makes them adorable. Dating does not fit into the sweet 9-yr old imagine I have in mind.

This affects me so badly. It makes me wonder am I sending a wrong message to younger kids whom I interact with? whom I teach (on rare occasions) ?

2 Comments

  1. pooh

    December 5, 2008 at 11:32 am

    Thanks Harish! Webdesign credits go to R. He was the patient/technical one while I tried every color in the spectrum. Media playing a role in a child’s growth is inevitable. The good, the bad and the ugly reach kids. I remember as I was glued to the TV during the latest attacks in Mumbai a friend’s 5 yr old daughter wanted to know all the details. But it is up to the parents, well wishers and others to give them information but in a filtered and age-appropriate manner. You do not want to be explaining to the lil one how they were killing people and that they are terrorists etc. You just tell them bad people are doing bad things and good people are fighting against it and winning the game. That is what surprises me in this case. What were the parent’s thinking? How can a parent be proud if their kid talks abt “cold hearted girls” and dating girls at 9?

  2. harish

    December 4, 2008 at 9:33 pm

    hi vinitha,
    first to say..i like ur blog design,its cool and touchy.
    9 yr old on dating…? its unbelievable…
    media has got a lot of bad effect on kids these days,..take it internet..tv..etc..they get to knw and experience things early compared to last decades kids…
    so they have got a variety of exposure..and out of that exposure..this book is outcome..may be..

    harish/busygod

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