I found this courtesy of @loquaciousmuse and @davidehrlich, so before I go on, I’d like to link the source ;-)
That said, apparently this video is sparking a LOAD of controversy over at Parent Dish.
I know I ranted yesterday, so I’m not going to go all crazy. But, it’s a minute out of the kid’s life. She’s not bleeding , she’s not crying hysterically, she was crying before mom got the camera and we have no idea how many hugs this kid got before or after this video.
It’s a moment. A moment in which a 4 year old is having an incredibly real and poignant moment about “love”. David used the phrase “adorable and tragic”. I’d agree. Because, well, aren’t all things at that age? ;-)
And when she grows up and sees the video, I’m guessing she’s going to ask her mom one thing.
“Um…who was Steven?”
I have to say I’m not a fan of posting pictures and video of small children on the internet.
It’s a very sweet video. It just should have stayed within their circle of family and friends. There are multiple ways to share files over the internet without giving EVERYBODY in the free world access.
When kids reach an age where they can start to really understand what it means to put something very personal on the internet, then they can do so for themselves.
1) As someone who has worked extensively with Pre-K kids, this video looks like she was crying, and then once it was sorted out her mother staged this and had her do it for the camera. If you notice, there are not wet tears coming down. Also, 4 yr olds in a fit of a real tantrum are rarely comprehensible and rarely come out with speech that clear. There’s usually a lot more snot involved, too. Chances are she was sad, her mother comforted her, and then they set the video up for… a memoir? because moms like competing to have the cutest youtube kid? Who knows?
2) If there were to be a huge parental debate over this matter… It shouldn’t be “Omg Mom Films Kid Instead Of Hugging” it should be “Wow, that kid is TOO young to be talking like that!” In today’s society, childhood is being completely eliminated. Kids are growing up faster both psychologically and physiologically, and it’s under debate whether they are growing emotionally as well, or if they’re finding it harder and harder to cope with the pressures of society. Kids have cell phones in elementary school. They have crushes on boys they want to make out as early as 3rd grade more often than not these days. Middle schoolers are going to court for SELLING and using narcotics and controlled substances, and they’re attending parties that involve alcohol, recreational drug use in candy bowls, to say nothing on “rainbow parties” being held as early as 5th grade, where girls wear different shades of lipstick from each other to attend a party where they all leave “rainbows” (from the different lipsticks) on the penises of the MULTIPLE boys they blow. Now, I’m not pushing abstinence on people, BUT don’t you think that 5th grade is a LITTLE early for kids to be blowing MULTIPLE men? Their minds and emotions haven’t developed enough to understand the ramifications of those actions yet. The debate that should occur is how to protect children from this elimination of childhood that a girl of no more than 4 has illustrated so well for us is occurring… because before she’s old enough for elementary school, she’s already “so in loove”!
Thought I’d add that my parents didn’t post it on the internet. But they might’ve done to share with friends, had the internet existed…who knows? It’d be weird just to stick it up on youtube, but youtube is a great platform for sharing a vid with friends & family..
We have a videotape of me as a baby (crawling, not even walking) which documents all the silly things I used to get myself into. They videotaped me backing under furniture & not being able to get back out (before I learned to crawl forward) or rolling myself up in blankets and freaking out.
I think it’s HILARIOUS.
Of course the second I start screaming, they turned off the camera & rescued me, it’s not like they made me stay trapped.
I bet this little girl will think the same thing–slightly embarrassed, mostly amused. And it distracted her. If she’d been bleeding, hysterical, or if her mom had let her hurt herself or if she’d in some other way needed attention, then it’d be bad. But maybe the camera helped. Who knows? :)
Haha, agreed! Maybe she will look up Steven years later and they’ll get married and it’ll be adorable and hopefully slightly less tragic.