General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: School drops sexual harassment claim against 6-year-old [View all]gollygee
(22,336 posts)without assuming adult intentions. The only way a 6-year-old could really sexually harrass is if the 6-year-old was a victim of abuse, and then that abuse victim's needs would be great and his behavior would be seen as a symptom. I agree that this boy (whose behavior doesn't sound like a symptom of abuse) needs to stop trying to kiss this girl since she doesn't want it, and he has to allow her to play with her friends obviously, but I would think consistently having him sit in time out if he tries to kiss her or starts up with possessive behavior would curb it. Labelling it "sexual harrassment" and punishing as if that adult motivation is what's going on seems really harsh for that age.
If they've had him sit in time out consistently and he's still doing it, then suspension might even make sense to force his parents to deal with it, as it doesn't sound like they see his behavior as a problem, but I still wouldn't label it "sexual harassment." That's a label that doesn't fit a 6-year-old's motivations.
I do agree that it warrants attention, because that kind of posessiveness among kids (which can happen outside of crushes too) isn't something kids necessarily grow out of on thier own, and it really can cause problems in a school. It can make the kid who is the subject of posessiveness (whether part of a crush or not) hate school and have problems focusing on school work. One of my kids got really possessive about a boy in her school and let him to play with anyone else, and I had to talk to her about having other friends and how he is allowed to have other friends, and I kept in touch with the teacher to make sure my daughter was allowing him to do what he wanted. It was a good learning experience for her. But if this parent is calling it cute, they're encouraging it.