Child of our time
One of the most fascinating series I have ever had the fortune to watch. Now I admit, I watch this series with a vested interest, the children involved are all at the stage just above my daughter as they were born in 2000. This series follows them through their life and the stages they go through. Now the cynics may see this as a form of exploitation for the children, and with the advent of reality TV I can't help but wonder how many of them are destined to hit the low-brow celebrity tabloids as they hit their teen years, but for the time being it's an amazing insight into the minds of children and their stages of development. Hosted by Professor Robert Winston (who apparently is something like the second brainiest person in Britain) this series looks into the psychological development in children and how they cope with and see the world around them, it offers incredible insight (repetitive I know) into what is shaping the next generation. Last night's programme looked at the gender divide and how children are becoming aware of their socially constructed sex roles in society and trust me, this was alarming as well as informative. Studies have shown for some time now that girls are outperforming boys in school and this generation are showing no signs of breaking that habit, in fact in last night's episode they far outshone the boys in many areas. What was of major concern was the body image problem that many of the girls are growing up with. It's scary when you see a seven year old girl telling you that she hates her body shape. Why? Well, that was hard to pinpoint. The only thing they could come up with, that same old scapegoat, of the media. However in this instance I have to say I agree, this girl was a big fan of pop music, but the people she reeled off: Rhianna, Beyonce, Shakira, Christina etc. all are incredibly sexy women that aren't scared of showing their bodies. The effect however seems to be insidious and our poor girls are suffering. I have to say, there's been a few times I've heard my daughter coming out with things about her weight that are frightening for a mother to hear. But I'm digressing, does anyone else watch this? Homer, you want to get into primary teaching, I cannot advise you strongly enough to watch this programme. Tuesdays 8pm BBC. It's startling viewing and possibly one of the most informative things BBC have done for a while.
One of the most fascinating series I have ever had the fortune to watch. Now I admit, I watch this series with a vested interest, the children involved are all at the stage just above my daughter as they were born in 2000. This series follows them through their life and the stages they go through. Now the cynics may see this as a form of exploitation for the children, and with the advent of reality TV I can't help but wonder how many of them are destined to hit the low-brow celebrity tabloids as they hit their teen years, but for the time being it's an amazing insight into the minds of children and their stages of development. Hosted by Professor Robert Winston (who apparently is something like the second brainiest person in Britain) this series looks into the psychological development in children and how they cope with and see the world around them, it offers incredible insight (repetitive I know) into what is shaping the next generation. Last night's programme looked at the gender divide and how children are becoming aware of their socially constructed sex roles in society and trust me, this was alarming as well as informative. Studies have shown for some time now that girls are outperforming boys in school and this generation are showing no signs of breaking that habit, in fact in last night's episode they far outshone the boys in many areas. What was of major concern was the body image problem that many of the girls are growing up with. It's scary when you see a seven year old girl telling you that she hates her body shape. Why? Well, that was hard to pinpoint. The only thing they could come up with, that same old scapegoat, of the media. However in this instance I have to say I agree, this girl was a big fan of pop music, but the people she reeled off: Rhianna, Beyonce, Shakira, Christina etc. all are incredibly sexy women that aren't scared of showing their bodies. The effect however seems to be insidious and our poor girls are suffering. I have to say, there's been a few times I've heard my daughter coming out with things about her weight that are frightening for a mother to hear. But I'm digressing, does anyone else watch this? Homer, you want to get into primary teaching, I cannot advise you strongly enough to watch this programme. Tuesdays 8pm BBC. It's startling viewing and possibly one of the most informative things BBC have done for a while.