Are adults no longer allowing children to be children?

Recent charges of sexual harassment against a 6-year-old boy in North Carolina and a 7-year-old boy in New York City for kissing school classmates would seem to suggest so, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

"I kissed a few girls when I was 7; it was fun, and I was a kid. Kids should be kids and, as important, adults should be adults," said Lawrence A. Stone, M.D., president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), in a statement released in response to the recent charges.

"Children's developmental stages are different, their understandings are different, their values are different, and their abilities are different. They are not little adults. They are innocent children who are seeking a better understanding of human contact, and they learn by trial and error."

In its statement, the AACAP noted that children age 9 and under generally haven't reached puberty, and their actions tend to be impulsive and innocent.

"This is not to diminish the importance of teaching our children proper etiquette early and being alert for signs of aggressive conduct," according to the statement.

Joseph R. Mawhinney, M.D., chair of APA's Council on Children, Adolescents, and Their Families, emphasized that what is appropriate, childlike conduct at one age may be inappropriate or aggressive conduct at another age.

"Children's behavior should be looked at and understood from a developmental perspective," Mawhinney told Psychiatric News. "Actions that are spontaneous, exuberant, and innocent in a 6-year-old may be inappropriate and of concern in a 9-year-old. Healthy socialization is generally a gradual process, guided by caring and supportive adults.

"Unacceptable behavior that is persistent, despite efforts at redirection and gentle correction, indicates a need for professional evaluation," Mawhinney said.

(Psychiatric News, November 1, 1996)