Lads' mags - what do we think?

notthenewsinbriefs.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/childish-mistakes/

Sorry, didn't blue it.

One Billion Rising post on Facebook, about how children can misinterpret or accept as true, the things they see that are not corrected or put into context for them by adults.

http://notthenewsinbriefs.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/childish-mistakes/

Should be "as was DD1 at that age"

Yes, I did explain its meaning. I don't think I'd ever expect children under the age of about sixteen to know the word. I wouldn't necessarily be surprised if they did, but I wouldn't expect it.

She is well-informed about human reproduction and menstruation, and about such related things as homosexuality and abortion. We bought her three books recommended by DD2, who works for a charitable youth drop-in centre in Leith, when she was nine. She 'devoured' them. At that time she was particularly interested in how babies are born (as was DD1). The biology is fascinating.

DD2, who has lots of contact with young city kids from the age of twelve, often remarks about their ignorance about such matters. Presumably they don't learn much at school (not necessarily because it isn't taught, but because they don't/can't pay attention), and perhaps their parents don't discuss such things with them.

Yes,bags, you obviously live in a completely different type of area from those where most children live. Did you explain the word to her, having mentioned it? If not, at what age would you expect her to know it?
I am sure there must be some children in the village/school who watch the soaps and would know the word but perhaps they are in different friendship groups.

I went to a convent school where we had absolutely no education on human reproduction, not even about menstruation, but somehow we all knew the joke about the nun who confused 'prostitute' with 'protestant'. I don't suppose any of us would have dared admit to our mother that we knew it, though.

She's home from school. I asked her. She had no idea. Didn't even know the word (confused it with Protestant – oops!). But one of her pals has a damaged nerve in her neck and another is on crutches because he broke his ankle ("really badly") skateboarding.

So, as suspected, village life in Scotland, and lack of exposure to unsuitable media is not conducive to such knowledge.

I'm thankful that neither of my grandsons watch any of the soaps. Except for the odd occasion when they are here and naughty granny doesn't' t get them to bed in time.

Going back to Profumo affair, I remember my parents talking about it a lot and was also aware that it was on the news all the time when I was about 8 or 9 and didn't fully understand what it was all about, but was aware that whenever the name Christine Keeler came up it seemed that she was in a whole lot of trouble and I couldn't work out why this was when all she did was play tennis!!! It was only later that I was to realise that I had confused her with Christine Truman who was around at the same time. I have been very careful with my Christines ever since!!!

Riverwalk - I taught in comprehensive schools in 'tough' areas of Merseyside in the 1970's and I can assure you that the majority of pupils knew about prostitution. 'Slag' was used frequently as a term of abuse, and they knew what they were saying.
Nearly 100% of UK homes have a TV set and children may listen to the news, or watch Eastenders, Emmerdale or Coronation Street, which have all dealt with the subject.
I think some older people might be looking back at their own state of knowledge, possibly through rose-coloured spectacles. I am afraid that my experience has been that some children play up to their parents' (or grandparents') naïve view of what they know and what they do.

Or they may just know that it hurts but it doesn't' t cross their mind to say anything to anybody. Depends on the age.

And they have been told by the abuser that "this is our secret"

I'd be surprised if the average 12 year-old boy/girl had any knowledge of prostitution.

I should add that I see a distinction between 'innocence' and 'ignorance'. The opposite of innocence is guilt, and the opposite of ignorance is knowledge. I believe many of the children who are abused do not tell any adult because they do not have the right vocabulary to describe their experience, or because they have picked up a sense from their parents that sex is 'dirty' and not something to be discussed.

I answered all my daughters' questions as honestly as I could, in line with their age and experience. If they heard something in the playground that they didn't understand, I would explain it in simple terms, but always using the proper vocabulary. They did ask me about abortion, homosexuality, and sexual abuse, when they were about ten, and I told them the truth.
That was 40 years ago - now, I doubt very much if there is a playground in the UK where such things are not discussed.

My grandson is eleven and nine months and I don't think for one moment he knows anything g about prostitution. Why would a child of that age? They certainly begin to get a good idea of what sex is all about, but prostitution would n' t come into it.

Not sure if girls ars different but I hope not.

All three of my DGS read from an early age. They started looking at headlines very early and they ask questions about everything. My DS read early as well but, point I made earlier, headlines were not as explicit 40 years ago and news reports did not go into the detail they do now. Also, children at school discuss all sorts of things and some are much more exposed to the dark side of life than others.

I remember the Profumo scandal very clearly. We took the Manchester Guardian and listened to the wireless. I remember asking my father about the 'missing model' as Christine Keeler was described and how the front page seemed different. He explained how newspapers get round the law by juxtaposing pictures next to news items and leaving readers to draw their conclusions. Something I've seen only this week in a certain paper.

Which doesn't mean she wasn't discreet.

Apart from going to school and within our small village, Minibags has hardly been out without us.

I'll ask her. I'm judging by questions she has asked me recently. If she does see the kind of newspaper or magazine articles that mention prostitution, it's not at home. And her interests do not seem, so far, to cover that sort of thing. I wouldn't call her a street-wise girl.

I knew when eldest D's active sex life started without being told.

If it's 50 years since the Profumo scandal, I would have been 13 at the time. I had a vague idea about prostitution, although I have a faint recollection that both Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice Davies were usually described as call girls - a meaningless term to me at the time. I also assumed that osteopath - Stephen Ward's profession - was something deeply disreputable. Also, like the child in The Go Between I didn't follow the joke about the Minister for Whore (John Profumo being the Minister for War at the time).

Even though you don't have television, bags, I find it hard to believe that an intelligent 12-year old does not know about prostitution. Surely she sees newspapers or magazine articles? I think many parents would be surprised if they knew everything about their children! My mother certainly had no idea when I started sleeping with my fiancé (later my husband).

Apropos Profumo, I do remember by best friend and I buying a copy of the News of the World. I think that was the paper, it was one that wasn't allowed in either of our homes, but we bought it and devoured the details of The Profumo Scandal. This thread ties in quite neatly with the one on child abuse in the Graham Ovenden one. Different times.

A more innocent and ignorant world when we were eleven. Newspaper reports were written in code, BBC news on radio and TV, if you had one, was much more circumspect and adults didn't discuss things freely in front of children.

Agreed!

Perhaps not, Bags, but I agree with Jess - most 12 year olds these days know what prostitution is.