What does it mean to be six?

A perfect storm of events has left me wondering why children today are subjected to so much sex.  OK, before you call me a prude, classify me as too conservative or decide I can't relate to life in the 21st century, hear me out.

  I had the misfortune of observing one of Elizabeth's 6 year old playmates, ditch her in hopes of being included in a group of teenaged boys the playmate desperately wanted to be a part of.

Later, I read an article about a 14 year old girl who had been sold to a brothel at age 6, and served as a sex slave for 3 years before she was able to escape.

  Finally, I read a blog detailing how a Colorado children's clothing store carries a line of crotchless panties for 6 year old children...the owner claimed people were buying them.

 Now I have a Masteer's Degree in Social Work and I really do think Erik Erickson was onto something with his description of the stages of the psychoscocial human life cycle.  Grade school aged children are at a stage of development where they should be developing self conficence through learning new tasks.  Praise and encouragement from adults will help them achieve a strong sense of  identity, self worth and self confience that prepares them for the turbulent adolescent road ahead .  This is why school is so important and why projecting a sexy self image is not so important.

It's really that simple.  We praise what they learn to do in school and they blossom, looking for more praise when they master the next task.  We reinforce a sexual self image and they become sexy, dependent of feed back that reinforces their sexiness, never navigate propery through this stage of development, and become teens with low self eteem and a low self worth. 

Still not with me?  Who is the greater tax burden, the young adult who keeps getting pregnant, has no skills and lacks the coinfidence to enroll in job training or the young adult who has the confidence to tackle a difficult job market?

Let's face it, when your 6, you don't need skinny jeans and lipstick to have fun at recess.